Tributes flow for dedicated Upper Hutt teacher and community champion

Upper Hutt teacher and community champion Paula Bloomfield died on Wednesday.

The family of an Upper Hutt teacher and determined community champion say she will be remembered for everything she did for others.

Paula Bloomfield died on Wednesday afternoon at Te Omanga Hospice in Lower Hutt after a battle with bladder cancer.

The 52-year-old was last month honoured as an ASB Good as Gold recipient for her services to the community, most recently organising a fundraising walk for the disease.

Upper Hutt teacher and community champion Paula Bloomfield died on Wednesday.

Bloomfield was involved in the Scouts, the Totara Park Playcentre, and the Upper Hutt City Football Club.

She had organised multiple fundraisers for cancer, and had worked as a teacher at Heretaunga College for 19 years, her husband Mark Bloomfield told the Herald.

“Paula went 100 miles an hour in everything she did,” he said.

“She cared about a lot of people”, he said, and “would do anything for anyone”.

“Paula was a dedicated educator and staff member who made a hugely significant contribution to our school community”, Heretaunga College principal John Murdoch said on social media.

Murdoch described her as a “valued member of our English department” and said the school community’s “thoughts and deepest sympathies are with her family and friends during this incredibly difficult time”.

The mother of three continued to fundraise and support her community, even in the face of her declining health, Bloomfield said.

ASB described her as “a cherished member of the Upper Hutt community” and “a beacon of joy and strength”, upon being awarded the Good as Gold award on Seven Sharp, which included being given $10,000.

“I would like to share it though, it’s gonna be shared”, Bloomfield said at the time, but agreed to spend some of the money on her family.

She and her family decided to use a portion of the funds on a campervan trip around the South Island which was booked for next Tuesday, but never got the chance.

Bloomfield’s family have agreed to still take the trip one day, to honour Paula.

The family said they’ve been overwhelmed by the tributes that have poured in over social media from the various groups Bloomfield supported over the years, as well as people from her past getting in touch to offer their condolences.

The Upper Hutt City Football Club plans to observe a minute’s silence during games this weekend, remembering Bloomfield’s passion and vibrance.

The Remutaka Zone Scouts said when she was honoured with the Good as Gold award “Paula embodies the very spirit of this award, and we are absolutely thrilled to see her recognised in this way”.

Ethan Manera is a New Zealand Herald journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 as a broadcast journalist with Newstalk ZB and is interested in local issues, politics, and property in the capital. Ethan can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.