Alan Bickers pictured in 2014. He died on November 1, 2025, aged 80. Photo / George Novak
Alan Bickers led a life of service.
He was a leader of “absolute integrity”, a “visionary”, and was always willing to give back to the community.
He was also a world traveller, a husband of 57 years, father of two, and grandfather of four.
The former Tauranga City Council chief executive and engineer has been remembered by his family, friends, and colleagues after he died on November 1. He was 80.
Bickers was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in 2014 for services to the community. He worked in local government jobs, held numerous governance roles, and was the project manager for the rebuild of Tauranga’s Holy Trinity church.
Bickers and his wife, Jill, had daughters Erin and Philippa, and grandchildren Evelyn, George, Joshua and Poppy.
Jill said she met Alan at a dance on April Fool’s Day in 1966. She was studying at Ardmore Teachers College and Alan was studying at the University of Auckland’s engineering school.
She said the couple loved travelling and went to “exotic” places including Mauritius, Tanzania, China and Japan.
Jill said Alan started his career as an engineer, became a director, and did arbitration mediation for his retirement job at age 60.
In 1991, he was the president of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand.
His daughter, Erin Young, said her father was generous and prepared.
“He’s got lists for everything … He’s drafted most of his life story … it’s 160 pages long.”
One thing that struck her was the amount of “stuff” he had built – bridges, dams, cycling velodromes, swimming pools, and council buildings.
Young said her father had a “sense of playfulness, and fun, and appreciation of the absurd things in life”.
“My last picture of him is poking his tongue out with me for a selfie.”
Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford said Bickers was his godfather and he had always “looked up to him”.
“He was an amazing man … I’ve tried to shape who I am today both as a person and as the local MP based on sort of how Alan served the community in his own way.”
Rutherford said his parents moved to the Bay of Plenty in the early 1990s, and Alan and Jill welcomed them to the community.
He said Bickers’ greatest legacy was his “service heart” and “willingness to give back to the community”.
He referenced Bickers leading the redevelopment of Holy Trinity Tauranga and being chairman of many boards and holding various governance roles, including on Transit New Zealand and the Building Practitioners Board.
Former Holy Trinity vicar Brian Hamilton said Bickers was the project manager for the building of its new church after an arsonist “burned down” the parish’s original church in 1999.
“We were so blessed to have him do it because … he did it for nothing, of course.”
Hamilton said Bickers was “hugely significant in the life of the parish”.
“If we had planning days, he was the sort of person who was a visionary, and because of his engineering background, he could help us kind of look ahead.
“He led music groups – there’s just a whole lot of things that he did within the spiritual life of the parish that well, just advanced the whole cause of the church.”
Friend and former colleague Kevin Wearne said he met Bickers about 40 years ago at Holy Trinity Tauranga.
Wearne said they worked together for years at consultancy firm Catalyst Management Services.
“He was a person of absolute integrity, and he did care about people. I think his decision-making was ethical first and foremost, and secondly, the best outcome for all the people involved.
“He was an innovator – he didn’t just go and do what had always been done. He was always pushing the boundaries and trying new stuff, and he did that extremely effectively.”
Wearne said Bickers’ greatest legacy was the church rebuild.
He recalled Bickers telling him at the time that a lot of his consultancy work was “dropping off” and he was a bit worried about the future.
“As soon as the building finished, he was inundated with work.”
Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale said he was sad to hear of Bickers’ death and it was “lovely to catch up with him in council chambers earlier in the year”.
“Alan will be remembered not only for his professional achievements but also for his integrity, wisdom, and commitment to fair and responsible governance.”
During Bickers’ nine-year tenure as council chief executive, he oversaw the amalgamation of the Mount Maunganui Borough Council and the Tauranga City Council to become the Tauranga District Council in 1989, at a time when the area was servicing a population of 65,000 people, Drysdale said.
“My thoughts are with his family, former colleagues, and many friends across the public and private sectors.”
Alan Bickers’ funeral is at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Tauranga today at 1pm.
Jill said the funeral will be open to anyone who wishes to pay their respects.
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.