Diana Isaac, Lady Isaac (born Edna Marie Gilbert; 2 September 1921 – 23 November 2012) was a New Zealand conservationist, businesswoman, philanthropist and arts patron who supported a wide range of projects within

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

. She was best known for co-founding and running Isaac Construction with her husband Sir Neil Isaac.

Biography

Isaac was born in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

in 1921 and raised in England. She joined the British Army during World War II and was on a troopship bound for India when she met Neil Isaac from

Timaru Timaru (; ) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to peo ...

. They married at the Church of the Redemption in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

in 1946. She worked for the army in India for three years while in her 20s before settling in Christchurch with her husband in 1950, where they founded Isaac Construction that year. There was a two-year period from 1956 to 1958 when a person married to a New Zealander could obtain a

New Zealand passport New Zealand passports () are Passport, passports issued to New Zealand nationality law, New Zealand citizens for the purpose of international travel by the Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), Department of Internal Affairs. New Zealan ...

, which Isaac made use of. She officially became a

New Zealand citizen The primary law governing nationality of New Zealand is the Citizenship Act 1977, which Coming into force, came into force on 1 January 1978. Regulations apply to the entire Realm of New Zealand, which includes the country of New Zealand itse ...

in a private ceremony held by the

mayor of Christchurch The mayor of Christchurch is the elected head of local government in Christchurch, New Zealand; one of 67 Mayors in New Zealand, mayors in the country. The mayor presides over the Christchurch City Council and is directly elected using the First ...

, Bob Parker, at her home at Mcleans Island in October 2012. She was the aunt of Catherine Isaac.

Contributions and recognition

Isaac contributed to Canterbury through the creation of scholarships at

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

and

universities, sponsoring the

Isaac Theatre Royal The Isaac Theatre Royal (formerly known as the Theatre Royal) is a heritage building in Christchurch, New Zealand, designed by brothers Sidney and Alfred Luttrell. Built in 1908, it is the only operational Edwardian-style theatre remaining in ...

, supporting the

Christchurch Art Gallery The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, commonly known as the Christchurch Art Gallery, is the public art gallery of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It has its own substantial art collection and also presents a programme of New ...

and setting up the Isaac Centre for Nature Conservation. She was also the main driving force behind the creation of Peacock Springs, a wildlife sanctuary on the outskirts of Christchurch. Isaac was awarded the

Queen's Service Medal The King's Service Medal (created as the Queen's Service Medal in 1975 and renamed in 2024) is a medal awarded by the government of New Zealand to recognise and reward volunteer service to the community and also public service in elected or app ...

for community service in the 1990 Queen's Birthday Honours, and became an Officer of the

New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for th ...

in the

2009 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2009 were announced on 31 December 2008 in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Barbados, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Christopher and Nevis,Saint Christopher. t ...

, for services to business, conservation and the community. In March 2009, Isaac was commemorated as one of the

Twelve Local Heroes The ''Twelve Local Heroes'' is a series of bronze bust (sculpture), busts in Christchurch, New Zealand. Sculpted by Mark Whyte, the objective was to commemorate twelve local Christchurch people who were prominent in their respective fields in t ...

for her work in

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

, and a bronze bust of her was unveiled outside the

Christchurch Arts Centre The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora is a hub for arts, culture, education, creativity and entrepreneurship in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located in the Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic Revival former University of Canterbury, Canterbur ...

. In 2010 she was one of three finalists for Senior New Zealander of the Year. She died at home on 23 November 2012. Catherine Isaac and Dame

Malvina Major Dame Malvina Lorraine Major (born 28 January 1943) is a New Zealand opera soprano. Early life and family Major was born in Hamilton on 28 January 1943, the daughter of Vincent and Eva Major. She grew up in a large musical family, and as a chil ...

spoke at her funeral, which was held at the Church of St Michael and All Angels in the

Christchurch Central City Christchurch Central City or Christchurch City Centre is the geographical centre and the heart of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is defined as the area within the Four Avenues (Bealey Avenue, Fitzgerald Avenue, Moorhouse Avenue and Deans Aven ...

, with Bishop

Victoria Matthews Victoria Matthews (born 1954) is a Canadian Anglican bishop. From 2008 until 2018, she served as Bishop of Christchurch in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. In 1994, she became the first woman ordained bishop in the A ...

officiating.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isaac, Diana 1921 births 2012 deaths Businesspeople from Christchurch Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit Recipients of the Queen's Service Medal 20th-century New Zealand philanthropists British emigrants to New Zealand