When it came to local body matters, he was a gamekeeper turned poacher.
James Parlane
James Parlane, who died in a two-vehicle crash near Ōhaupō last Friday, was a former lawyer and Waipā district councillor who frequently turned on his former colleagues.
He tried to return to council, with typically acerbic criticism of the institution, but failed.
He was struck by New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal in 2010, after being found guilty of professional misconduct.
His critiques of the council appeared in the letters column of The News – not all were published, and many were very long.
His death brought an outpouring of support from Kiwilaw (Canterbury) lawyer Cheryl Simes.
“To me, towards the end of his time as a lawyer, Jim showed true collegiality,” Simes wrote. “I realise that many other lawyers did not see him as ‘collegial’ – to put it mildly.”
In Parlane, Simes found a kindred spirit,
“I recall the information at his appeal hearing, that he had recently been diagnosed with Asperger’s – and, with hindsight, it is pretty obvious that he was on the autism spectrum.
Simes hoped things would have been different if Parlane had started a practice today – that he would receive and be open to support.
“He made a huge difference to me and my mental health, and to my eventual recovery, because of his kindness. I remember him as a true colleague, when I most needed one.”
The scene of the crash on Ohaupo Road last week. Photo: Roy Pilott.
