Gerald Garrick Cunningham (3 September 1945 – 1 July 2019) was a New Zealand author, photographer, historian and businessman.

Biography

Born in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

in the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

of New Zealand, he lived in that city and in

Central Otago Central Otago is an area located in the inland part of the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. The motto for the area is "A World of Difference". The area is dominated by mountain ranges and the upper reaches of the Clutha River ...

, before moving to

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

in 1957. Educated at

Auckland Grammar School Auckland Grammar School (often simplified to Auckland Grammar, or Grammar), established in 1869, is a State school, state, Day school, day and Boarding school, boarding secondary school for Single-sex education, boys in Auckland, New Zealand. ...

(1958–1962) he was employed by the

Bank of New Zealand Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) is one of New Zealand's Big Four (banking)#New Zealand, big four banks. It has been operating since October 1861, and since 1992 has been owned by National Australia Bank (NAB), retaining local governance with a New Z ...

, Wright Stephenson & Co and Taylor Trading Company. In 1972 he established Company Forty Five Ltd., a business involved in the import, manufacture and wholesale of paintings and art prints to the retail trade throughout New Zealand. During 2001 he moved to the village of

Lauder The former Royal Burgh of Lauder (, ) is a town in the Scottish Borders in the historic county of Berwickshire. On the Southern Upland Way, the burgh lies southeast of Edinburgh, on the western edge of the Lammermuir Hills. Etymology Alt ...

in Central Otago to retire. After his retirement, Cunningham wrote four books published by

Reed Publishing Reed Publishing (NZ) Ltd (formerly A. H. Reed Ltd and A. H. and A. W. Reed Ltd) was one of the leading publishers in New Zealand. It was founded by Alfred Hamish Reed and his wife Isabel in 1907. Reed's nephew Alexander Wyclif Reed joined the ...

NZ Ltd., a New Zealand company that was taken over by Penguin NZ, an offshoot of the multinational publisher,

Penguin Group Penguin Group is a British trade book publisher and part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by the German media company, media Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Bertelsmann. The new company was created by a Mergers and acquisitions, mer ...

, in 2009. A fifth book was published by Penguin NZ in 2009, with a sixth and seventh published by Bateman Publishing Ltd in 2011 & 2013. Cunningham died on 1 July 2019 at the Royal Brisbane Hospital after suffering a massive stroke.

Works

*''Guide to the Otago Central Rail Trail'' Reed Publishing NZ Ltd, first published 2003, reprinted 2004,2005,2007 and republished by Penguin NZ in 2009. () *''Guide to the Otago Goldfields Heritage Trail'', Blue Lake (Otago), Reed Publishing NZ Ltd, 2004, republished by Penguin NZ in 2008 () *''Illustrated History of Central Otago & the Queenstown Lakes District''

Skippers Canyon Skippers Canyon is a historic and scenic gorge, some 22 kilometres in length, several kilometres north of Queenstown, New Zealand. Today accessed from Queenstown via the same road that leads to the Coronet Peak skifield, Skippers Canyon is carv ...

Reed Publishing NZ Ltd., 2005 () *''Otago Central Rail Trail – A Pictorial Journey''- Reed Publishing NZ Ltd., 2007 () *''Central Otago – A Special Place''- Penguin NZ, 2009, () *''The Taieri Gorge Railway'' – Bateman Publishing Ltd, 2011 () *''Skippers & The Shotover River, Queenstown'' – Bateman Publishing Ltd, 2013 ()

References

1945 births 2019 deaths Writers from Dunedin New Zealand photographers 21st-century New Zealand historians New Zealand businesspeople People educated at Auckland Grammar School {{NewZealand-business-bio-stub