Peter Bush ‘transcended rugby photography’
Sunday, 17 December 2023
Celebrated New Zealand sports photographer Peter Bush has died.
Bush, 93, and arguably the country’s most-respected rugby snapper, died at a rest home in Wellington on Saturday, his daughter Rachel Bush confirmed.
“Dad loved life,” she said.
“He embraced challenges with a sense of adventure. He inspired so many people, including young photographers and many All Blacks.
“As far back as I can remember, he had a camera in his hand, and the click of the shutter was a constant companion in the house. He was not only my dad, he was a friend, confidant and great mate.”
Bush – or “Bushy” – started taking photographs in the 1940s and got his first assignment for the New Zealand Herald in 1949.
While he will be remembered for his rugby photography, a biography of his life points out many notable moments he captured, included the sinking of the Wahine, the arrival of Cliff Richard, the Beatles, David Bowie, Eartha Kitt, as well as the 1981 Springbok tour of New Zealand.
Simon Woolf, the son of the late prominent Wellington photographer Ron Woolf, said Bush was a regular at his father’s Lambton Quay dark room.
Bush encouraged his own entry into photographry and became both a mentor and “father figure”.
“As a photographer, he, Ans Westra and Marti Friedlander would be the big three … and now we’ve lost all three of them.”
Bush would be remembered for the “stories, warmth and wisdom” he shared with younger photographers.
“He was incredibly generous with what he shared.”
Woolf said Bush’s archive of photographs provided a snapshot of New Zealand life.
“He transcended rugby photography as well. People see him as the All Blacks photographer and a rugby photographer but he was far more than that.”
Bush was a close confidant of many All Blacks, but was also held in high regard by several Prime Ministers and even Pope John Paul II.
Celebrated rugby commentator and broadcaster Keith Quinn first met Bush at a concert in the 1960s, although the two would bump shoulders and travel together many times over the next 50 years.
Quinn described him as a “man’s man” who gained the trust of many All Blacks.
“In terms of sport, he recorded the All Blacks for 60 years down the barrel of his lens.
The two shared “real adventures” during several All Blacks tours, including in Apartheid-era South Africa.
“Everyone in New Zealand rugby, and especially the All Blacks of that era, will be very sad.”
Born in Auckland in 1930, Bush spent most of his childhood in the West Coast and was described as a “proud Coaster”.
From the 1950s onwards, Bush worked as a photo-journalist for many newspapers, including the Gisborne Herald, Auckland Star, New Zealand Herald, Truth and Sunday News.
Major events he covered included the sinking of the Wahine, the arrival of the Beatles and David Bowie, the New Zealand Māori land marches, Vietnam War protests, the 1981 Springbok tour, and Belfast during ‘the troubles’, as well as the rise and fall of political leaders and colourful personalities of Wellington.
Former New Zealand Rugby Union chairman Jock Hobbs awarded Bush his golden bib in 2002, giving him sideline access to any home test match for the rest of his life.
He recently handed over management of his 300,000-strong photography collection to his daughter, Rachel, and earlier in 2023 it was donated to Palmerston North’s Te Manawa Museum.
He is survived by his partner, Jane, his two daughters, Trinette and Rachel, stepchildren Carl and Karina, and grandchildren.
His funeral will be held on Friday.