Former Waipā mayor and Waikato Regional Council chair Alan Livingston has died aged 74, leaving a regional legacy and a very personal imprint on those who knew him, writes Mary Anne Gill.
Alan Livingston pictured last year.
Two months ago, Alan Livingston watched as his beloved Te Pahū community bore the brunt of February flooding.
He was concerned for people, for farms, for the road edges and waterways that never quite recover after a heavy event, and he did what he so often did – he helped.
Livingston supplied The News with photographs, not for attention, but because he understood that telling a community’s story matters, especially when that community is hurting. It was typical of Alan Livingston: practical, prepared and public‑spirited to the core.
That same sense of duty – shaped earlier in Te Pahū and carried through a lifetime – sits at the heart of the tributes flowing following his sudden death.
Helen Clark
Former prime minister Helen Clark, who grew up alongside Livingston in Te Pahū, said the news came as a shock. The Livingstons and Clarks all attended Te Pahū Primary School together in the 1950s and 1960s.
“Our parents were family friends and we knew them well. Alan’s family was public spirited and involved in the community as mine was. It was therefore no surprise to see Alan make a long contribution to local and regional government where he was always a diligent leader.”
Clark said Livingston’s commitment to Te Pahū never faded – even after he stepped away from public office.
She recalled Livingston visiting her father, George Clark, one last time in June last year.
Mike Pettit
“They talked about old times in Te Pahū. Dad loved the visit,” she said.
Clark said Livingston was in “fine form” when he gave a eulogy at her father’s funeral in December.
“Alan’s untimely death comes as a great shock. My heart goes out to his wife Janet and family at this very sad time.”
Alan Livingston, who had just turned 74 in January, was born in Gisborne and raised in Te Pahū. He is survived by his wife Janet, their three children – Anna, Megan and Andrew – and nine grandchildren.
He served four terms as mayor of Waipā from 2001 to 2013 and later chaired the Waikato Regional Council from 2016 to 2019. In 2014 he was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to sport and the community.
Susan O’Regan
Waipā mayor Mike Pettit said Livingston was a respected leader, friend and dedicated member of the community.
“Alan cared deeply about this community and worked tirelessly to make it a better place for current and future generations. He will be remembered not only for his achievements, but for the relationships he built and the respect he earned. He was a true statesman,” said Pettit.
Former mayor Susan O’Regan said Livingston dedicated his life to Waipā – to its people, its land and its prosperity.
“His fingerprints are on so much of what makes this district and region what it is today. He was a devoted family man and a truly great person. He will be deeply missed by many.”
Liz Stolwyk
Former Waipā deputy mayor and current Waikato regional councillor Liz Stolwyk said her heart was heavy.
“Alan was a man of integrity and had a genuine commitment to people. His passing leaves a significant void.”
Livingston was a sheep and beef farmer on the northern slopes of Mt Pirongia for more than 30 years and a genuine environmentalist.
He did not just talk about protection but put legal and practical structures around it. He and his family protected bush on their own property with two QEII covenants, and in 2023 he was appointed chair of the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust.
That environmental commitment sat alongside deep governance experience across the region, including river and catchment work. It was simply part of how he lived.
But Te Pahū remained his anchor and his support continued long after politics.
His book, Te Pahū, A History, launched in 2021 after years of painstaking research, gave the community something rare – a record of itself, compiled carefully while those stories could still be collected. The launch drew people connected to the district, including Helen Clark who described it as “a major legacy to Te Pahū.”
And that is perhaps the most fitting way to remember him: not only as a former mayor or regional council chair, but as someone who never stopped turning up for the place that raised him – with his time, his knowledge, his insistence on doing things properly, and his belief that communities thrive when people simply help.
See: Te Pahu History
A service to celebrate the life of Alan Livingston will be held on Monday, 20th April in the Sir Don Rowlands Centre, 601 Maungatautari Road, Karapiro, at 11am.
Te Pahū legends: Alan Livingston with George Clark in June last year. The former prime minister’s father died on 6 December 2025 aged 103.
