A great sadness swept across the industry this week when the family of Paul Richards announced that Paul died peacefully at home on 29th March 2021 surrounded by his loved ones. 

Paul was one of those people who formed the backbone of the Kiwi screen industry. He always seemed to be there with a calmness, good humour, and a willingness to help that meant a lot to many people.

At NZCS, Paul was an active committee member, served as a Vice President, and often contributed his gear and facilities with humble generosity. He was a very experienced cinematographer and, more than that, he was our friend. 

Paul was very proud of how he built up his Nutshell camera rental business. He was very generous with his time and advice, so he helped encourage many young film makers. Paul loved a good yarn over a beer or whiskey, so any visit to Nutshell could take a lot longer than intended!

His long-serving membership to the NZCS, the Screen Industry Guild and WIFT, demonstrate his great involvement and commitment to our screen community. 

He will be greatly missed and we send our heartfelt condolences and love to his family and to those closest to him.

A celebration of Paul's life will be held on Thursday 1 April (tomorrow) at 12 noon, Okahu, 18 Tamaki Drive. For those who can not attend in person, here is a link to the live stream. Instead of flowers, donations would be appreciated to melanoma.org.nz/donate

Kua hinga te tōtara o Te Waonui a Tāne
(the tōtara in the great forest of Tāne has fallen)