Former Wellington mayor Sir James Belich died last week at the age of 88.
Belich was the mayor of Wellington from 1986 until 1992.
Hundreds attended his funeral at the Church of St Benedict in Khandallah.
Prior to standing for mayor, Belich had already established some public profile as chairman of the Downstage Theatre Trust board and as an advocate for children.
He was president of the United Nations Association and chairman of the International Year of the Child, in 1979, which paved the way for the establishment of the Children’s Commission.
He was also founding president of Unicef New Zealand and was there, alongside Prime Minister David Lange, when New Zealand signed up to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Born in the Far North town of Sweetwater, he was the son of immigrant gumdiggers from the Dalmatian island of Korcula.
He grew up bilingual. He spoke Serbo-Croatian to his parents and English to his two elder brothers.
Belich was also a strong family man. He married another Dalmatian immigrant, Valerie Anzulovich, in 1951.
Throughout their marriage, Belich’s mother-in-law lived with the couple, until her death aged 92.
She doubled as Belich’s personal assistant, giving short shrift to late-night callers requesting the mayor’s urgent counsel.
The couple had three children, including historian James Belich.
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