Craig Potton (born 15 January 1952) is a New Zealand photographer, environmentalist, businessman, publisher, and founder of the New Zealand publishing company

Potton & Burton Potton & Burton, formerly Craig Potton Publishing, is a book publishing company based in Nelson, New Zealand, and is one of the largest independent book publishers in New Zealand. History Potton & Burton was first established in 1987 as Craig Po ...

. Potton, who resides in Nelson, has been active in local government, and stood as a Green candidate in the

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

and 2002 general elections.

Early life and family

Potton was born in Nelson on 15 January 1952, the younger son of Rhoda Potton and her husband businessman Dick Potton who established Zip Industries and owned Nelson's cinema complex State Cinemas. He was educated at Nelson College from 1963 to 1969, where he played in the school's 'A' basketball team in 1968 and was a prefect in his final year. From a young age, Potton had an interest in environmentalism and took part in the

Save Manapouri campaign The Save Manapouri campaign was an environmental campaign waged between 1969 and 1972 in New Zealand to prevent the raising of the levels of lakes Manapouri and Te Anau as part of the construction of the Manapouri Power Project. Origins The ...

while still a student at Nelson College. Potton went on to study at university: first at the University of Auckland in 1970 and then the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

in 1971 and 1972, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. He spent 1973 at

Christchurch Teachers' College The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was f ...

, and then returned to the University of Canterbury for postgraduate studies between 1974 and 1976, completing a Master of Arts with honours in religious studies. In 1988, Potton married Beverly Nina Beizman, who was Jewish, and the couple had one child. Beverly died from ovarian cancer in 2005. Potton later married his second wife, Catherine, with whom he has a daughter; Catherine also has two daughters from a previous relationship.

Environmental activities

After teaching for two years at Nelson College, Potton left to concentrate full-time on conservation. Potton joined the conservation group Forest & Bird; besides serving as a board member of Forest & Bird and chairman of the group's Nelson branch, Potton also served as the group's representative on the

New Zealand Conservation Authority The New Zealand Conservation Authority / Te Pou Atawhai Taiao O Aotearoa is an independent statutory body that advises the Minister of Conservation and Director-General of Conservation on conservation issues of national importance. Role Its st ...

and played a role in the creation of the Kahurangi and Rakiura National Parks. He was also a member of the National Forestry Council and the

Federated Mountain Clubs The Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand (Inc) (commonly referred to by its acronym, FMC), is a New Zealand environment and conservation NGO. It is the only national association of over 110 tramping, mountain climbing clubs and schools. Membe ...

executive.

Photography, publishing, and television

Potton developed as a landscape photographer during the 1970s and 1980s, and, dissatisfied with the quality of printing and editing of his early photographic books, in 1987 he founded his own publishing company,

Craig Potton Publishing Potton & Burton, formerly Craig Potton Publishing, is a book publishing company based in Nelson, New Zealand (Let him, who has earned it, bear the palm) , image_map = Nelson CC.PNG , mapsize = 200px , map_cap ...

. In 1990, Robbie Burton, joined the company, becoming managing editor and publisher; the company employs 15 people. In 2015, the company was renamed

after Burton assumed co-ownership. In addition to books on New Zealand nature and wildlife, the company has published journalist Nicky Hager's books ''Secret Power'', '' Dirty Politics'', '' The Hollow Men'', and '' Seeds of Distrust''. Potton worked as a stills photographer on the sets of '' The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy, '' Peter Pan'' (2003), and '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' (2005). His photography has been displayed at exhibitions in New Zealand and internationally, including at the Christchurch Art Gallery, the National Gallery of Australia, the Rowe Gallery in North Carolina, and the Luksfera Gallery in Warsaw and Jerusalem. Potton was the writer and presenter for the television documentary series ''Rivers with Craig Potton'' (2010) and ''Wild Coasts with Craig Potton'' (2011), produced by

South Pacific Pictures South Pacific Pictures is a New Zealand television production company. The company produces drama series, mini-series, telemovies and feature films for the domestic market and international market. SPP's largest property is ''Shortland Street'' ...

. He won the award for best documentary script at the 2011 New Zealand Script Writers Awards for his ''Rivers'' episode, "Rangitata".

Other business activities

Following the death of his father in 2007, Potton has been the co-owner with his older brother, Richard, of State Cinemas in Nelson and Motueka. He also owns his own Gallery Store in Nelson.

Political and community involvement

Active in local-body politics in Nelson, Potton served on the Nelson City Council for 12 years. He is also a past member of the Nelson Catchment Board, the

Nelson-Marlborough Regional Council The Nelson-Marlborough Regional Council was one of 13 Regions of New Zealand, regional councils established through the passing of the Local Government Act 1987. The council was established in the 1989 local government reforms, but disestablished on ...

, the Nelson Conservation Board, and the Nelson Arts Council, and has served as chair of the

Nelson Provincial Museum The Nelson Provincial Museum, ''Pupuri Taonga O Te Tai Ao'' is a regional museum in the city of Nelson, New Zealand. The museum showcases the Nelson and Tasman regions' history, from geological origins to the stories of individuals and families. N ...

. Potton is also a member of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand, and stood unsuccessfully as a Green Party list candidate at the

and 2002 general elections, where he was ranked 28th and 22nd, respectively, on the party's list.

Honours

In the

2013 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2013 Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of t ...

, Potton was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to photography and conservation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Potton, Craig 1952 births Living people People from Nelson, New Zealand People educated at Nelson College University of Auckland alumni University of Canterbury alumni Nelson College faculty New Zealand environmentalists New Zealand photographers New Zealand publishers (people) New Zealand businesspeople New Zealand television presenters New Zealand television writers Nelson City Councillors Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand politicians Unsuccessful candidates in the 1999 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 2002 New Zealand general election Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit