Much loved Waitaki District Councillor Jim Hopkins, a well known broadcaster, scriptwriter and author has  died in the early hours of Monday morning.

Hopkins was elected as Oamaru Ward Councillor in 2007 and remained in office until his death.

He served three years as Deputy Mayor, having been sworn into the role on 19 October 2010, and had earlier served four terms as a councillor on Banks Peninsula Council.

Waitaki Mayor Mel Tavendale said Hopkins was a true voice for the people and would be deeply missed.

“He was a fierce advocate for the people of Waitaki, both within and beyond council, and he scrutinised every detail. He kept us all honest,” she said.

“The council chamber will not be the same without him, his passionate arguments, attention to detail and incredible wit.

“Jim believed in democracy and he believed in Waitaki. I can only say again how deeply Jim will be missed as a councillor and as a friend.”

Waitaki Chief Executive Alex Parmley said staff and elected members would be supported as the organisation responded to the news.

“Jim always brought a very considered approach to his responsibilities on Council, together with a wicked sense of humour and that was something we all valued,” he said.

“I extend my condolences to his family and friends. We are working with Jim’s family to provide a fitting farewell for a deeply community-minded man whose commitment is something we can all look up to.”

Hopkins was born in 1946 and spent most of his working life in and around broadcasting before he entered local government.

He wrote scripts for the long running television drama Close to Home and went on to front a string of programmes as a presenter and reporter, including the 1980s science series Fast Forward, The Inventors and Dateline Monday.

He was also a familiar voice on talkback radio, hosting on Radio Pacific in Auckland and Radio Avon in Christchurch, and later wrote a regular column for the New Zealand Herald.

A performer in the televised BNZ Festival Debates, Hopkins built a reputation as one of the country’s most sought after after-dinner speakers and MCs, working the circuit for more than 30 years and describing himself in publicity material as a “thoroughly boring local government councillor”.

His best known work came in 1998 with the book Blokes and Sheds, a study of amateur inventors and the sheds they worked in, which reached number one on the New Zealand sales list within a week of release.

He followed it with Inventions from the Shed in 1999, then adapted the idea for television, fronting the series Blokes ‘n’ Sheds and a five part documentary series featuring inventors across Australia.

Later television work included the cooking series The Knackered Chef, and he appeared as a subject in the 2019 documentary series Funny As: The Story of New Zealand Comedy, where he argued that the debating boom of the late 1960s and early 1970s was one of the parents of stand up comedy in New Zealand.

Hopkins hosted the live grand final of the National Bank Young Farmer of the Year contest for 21 years, standing down after the 2011 event.

He stood unsuccessfully for the Waitaki mayoralty in 2013.

Tavendale asked that the privacy of Hopkins’ family and loved ones be respected while they grieve.

A condolences book will be available at the council for people to sign. Details of a memorial service will be circulated in coming days, and the council will lower its flag to half mast as a mark of respect.