His funeral is being held in Wellington today and our thoughts go out to his family and friends. Well known for his role as a curator at Te Papa William began his career in Christchurch where he was well regarded as a curator and art critic in the city's art circles. He was a great colleague and a curator whose exhibitions were always extremely well received. For me a highlight was the exhibition Gordon Walters: Print + Design which he curated for the University of Victoria's Adam Art Gallery in 2004. Insightful and illustrative, it was one of those exhibitions that I lingered in, absorbing every object and written description with delight and learning much about an, until then, obscure aspect of Walters's oeuvre.

The last time I heard from William was few weeks back regarding the auction of a selection of Leo Bensemann's paintings then on offer in Christchurch from which he was considering a purchase for Te Papa's collection. I always admired the ease with which he could shift between contemporary and historical art; he was one of the few curators with whom I could have in-depth discussions, usually over the telephone, about historic New Zealand artists-from memory, van der Velden, Chevalier, Fomison, Shurrock, Rata Lovell-Smith, Angus and Bensemann to name but a few. His insightful, informed comments and helpful nature were deeply appreciated: answers to questions about artists and art always seemed to be right at the top of his head.

Rita Angus: Life & Vision, which he co-curated with Jill Trevelyan in 2008, was one of the most popular exhibitions to be staged at the Christchurch Art Gallery–our audiences loved it and many made return visits. I am sure it was an exhibition that Rita herself would have been proud of, and for me it stands as a testament to the skill and craft William brought to curatorial practice in New Zealand.

Rest in peace William