Wade Thomas Doak (23 February 1940 – 12 September 2019) was a New Zealand marine conservationist, scuba diver, photographer and filmmaker. Born in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, Doak was educated at

Christchurch Boys' High School , motto_translation = I Seek Higher Things , type = State school, Day and Boarding school , gender = Boys , song = The School We Magnify , colours = Blue and Black , established = , address = 71 Straven R ...

from 1954 to 1958. He began diving in his teens, and met Kelly Tarlton at the Canterbury Underwater Club. In the 1960s, Doak moved to Northland, where he first dove around the

Poor Knights Islands The Poor Knights Islands (Māori: ''Tawhiti Rahi)'' are a group of islands off the east coast of the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. They lie to the northeast of Whangarei, and offshore halfway between Bream Head an ...

with Tarlton. Doak became an acknowledged expert on the marine ecology of the area, and was instrumental in the Poor Knights Islands being made a

marine reserve A marine reserve is a type of marine protected area (MPA). An MPA is a section of the ocean where a government has placed limits on human activity. A marine reserve is a marine protected area in which removing or destroying natural or cultural ...

in 1981 and receiving full protection in 1998. In the 2012 Queen's Birthday and Diamond Jubilee Honours, Doak was awarded the

Queen's Service Medal The Queen's Service Medal 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 appointed public office. It was established in 1975 and is related to ...

, for services to marine conservation. He died at his home in

Ngunguru Ngunguru is a coastal settlement in Northland, New Zealand, north-east of Whangārei. The Ngunguru River flows between the settlement and a long low sandspit into Whangaumu Bay, which stretches southwards. North of Ngunguru are Tutukaka and ...

on 12 September 2019.

References

1940 births 2019 deaths People from Christchurch People educated at Christchurch Boys' High School New Zealand conservationists Recipients of the Queen's Service Medal {{NewZealand-film-bio-stub