Paul Curry, the former co-chair of the Tauranga City Council Disability Advisory Group, gives a thumbs-up for a coastal viewing platform on Karewa Parade for disabled and elderly users. Photo / NZME
Paul Curry, the former co-chair of the Tauranga City Council Disability Advisory Group, gives a thumbs-up for a coastal viewing platform on Karewa Parade for disabled and elderly users. Photo / NZME
Paul James Curry devoted his life to supporting and helping people from all walks of life, particularly those with disabilities.
A well-known and passionate advocate, leader and public servant, particularly in the disability community, Curry left a lasting legacy of compassion and fairness for others to follow.
Curry, who diedat age 75 on October 8, was at the forefront of finding solutions to achieve better access and health outcomes for disabled people, not only in Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty.
He died just two weeks after his older brother Scott, who lived in Masterton.
Survived by his son Nelson and daughter Morgan, and his two surviving siblings - Julie and Chris - Curry knew first-hand the challenges faced by people with disabilities.
Nelson and Morgan said that at age 19, while serving in the Royal NZ Navy in 1969, their father was paralysed from the waist down after a 180kg bomb dropped from a loading bay above and crushed him.
“Dad recently celebrated 56 years in a wheelchair … His injury was pre-ACC, which meant a lifetime of complex relationships with several government agencies.”
They said their father’s health had been gradually declining.
“Dad’s life expectancy was originally about 50 years old. His love of life and sheer willpower to stay alive to continue helping others kept him going.
“We believe he was one of the longest living people with a complex spinal injury in New Zealand.”
Born on April 28, 1950 and raised in a state house in Palmerston North, Curry moved to Wairarapa, then to Wellington, before settling in Tauranga in 2013.
Well-known Tauranga community leader and passionate advocate for people with disabilities, Paul James Curry, 75, died on October 8. Photo / Supplied
Nelson said their father held numerous governance and leadership roles during his life.
At one time, he served on 11 different boards,
The first board he joined was the Wellington Paraplegic and Physically Disabled Trust, which was set up by his late father Jim Curry and a few friends, and he went on to serve as the trust’s chairman.
Over the years, the small trust raised several million dollars to fund annual scholarship grants.
Paul Curry in 2019, when he was co-chair of Tauranga Disability Advisory Committee. Photo / NZME
He was patron of the NZCCS Disability Action - the largest disability support and advocacy organisation in Aotearoa - and instrumental in having its title changed from the Crippled Children’s Society.
He was a former chief executive of the NZ Families Commission and general manager of the Department of Internal Affairs Community Development Group.
He also served as chair of the Momenta Charitable Trust, a convenor of the Inclusive Employment Taskforce (BOP) and a director of advocacy under the Health and Disability Commissioner, among many other roles.
He was co-chair of the Tauranga City Council Disability Advisory Group from 2014 to 2021 and was a founding member of the Western BOP Disabled Persons’ Assembly.
Nelson said his father never let his disability hold him back from fighting for the rights of disabled people and others disadvantaged in life.
Paul Curry fought the misuse of mobility parking spaces. Photo / NZME
“Whether it was fair treatment by institutions, access to public buildings, transport or employment opportunities, he championed those rights.
“He was passionate about helping people, fixing systems and leaving the world a little better than he found it. Whether it was big or small, Paul was proud of the differences he made.”
Nelson said his father had described his life as “a hell of a ride”.
“He was deeply grateful for the friends, family and fellow mischief-makers who shared the journey after a wayward bomb transformed his life.”
Mayor Mahé Drysdale said Curry was a dedicated advocate for the disabled community. Photo / Alisha Evans, SunLive
Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale said Curry was a dedicated advocate for the disabled community in Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty region.
“His involvement across many organisations — including as co-chair of Tauranga City Council’s Disability Support Group for over seven years — made a lasting impact and helped shape a more inclusive city.
“We are grateful for Paul’s many years of service and extend our condolences to his family and friends.”
Gerald Scanlan, chairman of the Whānau Mercy Ministries, said he worked with Curry at the Department of Internal Affairs’ Community Development Branch from 1998 to 2003.
“My dominant memory of Paul was of his enthusiastic commitment to the work and teams he led, and his tireless advocacy … I count myself fortunate to have met him and have been inspired by his example.
“I admired Paul for his courage and the way he turned his personal ordeal into a gift of great value for ordinary New Zealanders wanting to improve their own lives and their communities.”
Curry’s wishes were for no funeral service, and his family asked that donations be made to Wellington Paraplegic and Physically Disabled Trust by visiting wppdt.org.
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 25 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.
