Environmentalist Alex Miller, who was honoured for his efforts on the West Coast, has died of cancer. He was 70.
The Franz Josef man was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2007 for his conservation work on the West Coast.
A friend and colleague, Graeme Ayres, says Mr Miller will be sorely missed by the conservation community.
He says Mr Miller possessed a unique talent for mediating difficult discussions - a skill particularly useful during his time on the West Coast Conservation Board.
Mr Miller was also former ranger for for Totaranui and Franz Josef.
More recently, he was known for his work designing a Cessna to be used for tracking birds in a kiwi recovery programme.
Susan Miller says her husband's love of the outdoors began at an early age as a scout and the West Coast held a special place in his heart.
Mr Miller had been ill with cancer for the past three months and died on Friday morning. He is also survived by two children.