Local tributes to Sir Edmund Hillary 

Tributes to the great adventurer Sir Edmund Hillary, who passed away at Auckland City Hospital at 9am on Friday morning, have begun to flow in:

Prime Minister Helen Clark:

"Sir Ed described himself as an average New Zealander with modest abilities. In reality he was a colossus. He was an heroic figure who not only 'knocked off' Everest but lived a life of determination, humility and generosity.

"The legendary mountaineer, adventurer, and philanthropist is the best-known New Zealander ever to have lived. But most of all he was a quintessential Kiwi. He was ours - from his craggy appearance and laconic style to his directness and honesty. All New Zealanders will deeply mourn his passing.

"The legacy of Sir Edmund Hillary will live on. His exploits continue to inspire new generations of New Zealanders, as they have for more than half a century."

Acting Prime Minister Michael Cullen:

"Undoubtedly Sir Ed was New Zealand's greatest son of our time. I met him first in the 1980s and then again in later years. What struck you when you met him was - he's a big man; a slow-talking Kiwi of an old fashioned variety. He was very modest and you felt radiating out of him - here is a man in a different league to most of us in terms of what he could do and what he was.

"I think he will be remembered as an extraordinary man, who not only achieved a great deal from the conquest of Everest but who was a a great humanatarian - a person of a wide range of achievements and yet this extraordinary sense of modesty. He typified how we'd like to see ourseves as a people."

"We should grieve but we should also celebrate that life Sir Ed had and recognise that he was a truly great man and a truly great New Zealander."

Governor-General Anand Satyanand

Satyanand said Hillary would be mourned throughout the world.

"The loss of Sir Edmund is a loss for all those who sought to improve our world," Satyanand said.
  
"Through his many achievements in the Himalayas, Nepal, Antarctica, India and elsewhere, Sir Edmund was an important role model. He was a leader who showed how to set goals and achieve them."

National Party Leader John Key:

John Key says Sir Ed was a man that all New Zealanders could be truly proud of. He says it's a sad day for the country and offers his sympathies to the Hillary family.

Progressive Party leader Jim Anderton:

Anderton described Sir Ed as a great New Zealander. He says not only did Sir Ed become the first of two people to set foot on the summit of Mount Everest, but he refused to rest on his laurels. He says Sir Ed saw a need on the part of the Sherpa people of Nepal, and devoted his long life to doing something practical about it.

New Zealand climber Mark Ingles:

"For me, right from an early age, right from when I started climbing, Sir Ed has always been an idol. He's been a huge tower of strength through the adventures he'd go on.

"But as you came to understand it, it was not just the summit or Everest, it was not just the trans-Antarctic journies but it was what he did with them - that has been his tower of strength."

Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard:

The Reserve Bank is paying tribute to the man featured on the New Zealand five dollar note - the only living New Zealander to have been chosen to feature on a banknote.

Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard says everyone feels the loss of a truly remarkable man whose achievements and humility have inspired New Zealanders for so long.

Close Up presenter and friend to Sir Ed, Mark Sainsbury:

"It was an absolute privilege to have been involved with Sir Ed. Anyone who has had anything to do with him says the same thing.

"As Michael Cullen says, Sir Ed summed up what we all like to think of ourselves as New Zealanders and he was in the living flesh."

Adventurer Graeme Dingle:

Graeme Dingle says Sir Ed was a mentor who inspired him to set up the likes of the Outdoor Pursuits Centre in Tongariro National Park. Dingle says Sir Ed defended others when it counted.

Green Party co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons: 

"He gave back so much to the people of Nepal with his work in education and health, and he ably represented New Zealand to the rest of the world." 

Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples:

Pita Sharples says Sir Ed was a homegrown superman, who truly represents the categories of hero, leader and champion.

New Zealand Alpine Club President Phil Doole:

"Ed Hillary wasn't just a once in a lifetime figure, he was a once in history figure.
By definition no-one else was able to repeat his first ascent of the world's highest mountain, yet that achievement pales into insignificance compared to his humanitarian achievements, his values and his determined expression of them."

President of the Antarctic Society Norm McPherson:

"The Society hails the magnificent contribution of its longstanding patron to our country and the world. 

"We were privileged to recently welcome and honour him in Christchurch in September 2007 at the national anniversary of New Zealand's 50 years in Antarctica. He was acclaimed in Christchurch by its citizens as a national hero as much now as in the '50s."

CEO Antarctica New Zealand Lou Sanson:

"Ed was a towering legend in New Zealand's identity with Antarctica. I was greatly privileged to accompany him to Antarctica on two separate occasions. The most recent visit was for the Scott Base 50 year anniversary celebrations where Ed was the centre of attention.

"He was able to visit the Dry Valleys, the historic huts and spend a night in the A frame hut where he recalled many stories. He was especially popular at Scott Base for sharing his life's stories with others."