17/09/2026
It is with great sadness that we note the passing of Emeritus Professor John Broughton CNZM (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu Ki Heretaunga) on Tuesday.
Tributes have flown from across the motu to remember this intelligent, witty and graceful man and his outstanding contribution to health science, Māori health, the University of Otago - Ōtakou Whakaihu Waka and to our community and cultural landscape.
Professor Broughton was a highly respected academic, researcher, teacher and loved member of the community. He was also an award-winning playwright, receiving the New Zealand Bruce Mason Playwriting Award in 1990, and his works are held in our collection.
Dunedin Public Libraries - Ka Kete Wānaka o Ōtepoti have had a long and enduring connection with Professor Broughton which began in the early 1980's when as Chairman of the Araiteuru Marae Committe he helped open the Māori Room (later named Taiehu) on the second floor of City Library. More recently he has worked as a Special Trust Advisor for the newly formed Dunedin Public Libraries Heritage Foundation and supported the launch of the Foundation.
Next door to City Library you will find the stained-glass Nativity Window that Professor Broughton commissioned for St Pauls in the Octagon. There is an article about this beautiful gift that you can read about on p 17 of the Spring 2025 issue of Heritage New Zealand Magazine https://issuu.com/heritagenz/docs/heritage_new_zealand_k_anga_spring_2025
Professor Broughton will be greatly missed and our thoughts are with his whānau and friends at this sad time.
Haere rā e te rakatira, haere ki te Hawaiki-nui, Hawaiki-roa, Hawaiki-pāmaomao haere, haere, haere.
Photo of Professor Broughton at the launch of the Heritage Foundation 21 May 2026 taken by Jill Bowie.
