Life Members 2025
Five members have been awarded Life Membership in 2025.
Stu Allan
Stu joined the NZAC in 1970 and has maintained continuous membership. Stu climbed in Peru, on a Kiwi expedition that attempted the east ridge of Chopacalqui, with – as he described it – 'way too much gear. In our early twenties with unformed brains, we really didn’t know what we were doing.'
Stu has over 35 first ascents on rock and alpine routes in New Zealand. Most notable among them are:
- Bowen Allan Corner, an early route on Moir’s Mate in the Darran Ranges, that was highly influential in generating a lot of interest in climbing on Moir’s Mate.
- Big Corner on the south face of Mt Sabre in the Darran Ranges.
After a climbing season in Europe in 1972, which he described as too crowded, Stu began teaching at Plas y Brenin in Wales and then for two seasons at Glenmore Lodge in Scotland, then at the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre in New Zealand, where he later became the Centre Director.
Stu moved to Wellington and began contributing directly to the activities of the Club:
- Managed national instruction function (1986–1988)
- Member of the Climbing and Instruction Committee (2017–2019)
- Chaired the Headquarters Committee (1990–1994)
- Convened the Publications Committee (2001–2002)
- Edited Rob Frost’s Aoraki Tai Poutini Guidebook and Paul Maxim’s Bold Beyond Belief Bill Denz NZ's Mountain Warrior (now in its second edition)
- Wrote for The Climber and New Zealand Alpine Journal
- Volunteered on section committees in Canterbury Westland and Wellington
- Led trips and meets such as the 'Youngies/Oldies Meet' at Arthur’s Pass
Stu is a member of the Register of Outdoor Safety Auditors, contributing to ensuring good practice for mountaineering activity providers. He continues to climb, learn, and support the advancement of the Club and the sport of climbing to this day.
Derek Chinn
Derek has climbed extensively in New Zealand, the Himalayas, Peru, Alaska, Europe, and the Atlas Mountains in North Africa.
His climbing accomplishments include several impressive Himalayan efforts:
- North East Ridge and the North Col north ridge of Everest
- First ascent of the West Buttress of Cholatse
- Solo ascent of Pik Communism
- Near-summit attempt on Nanga Parbat’s Rupal Face
- Skiing off the summit of Mustag Atta
- Big wall routes Half Dome and Zodiac in Yosemite, USA
In New Zealand, he has completed multiple first ascents, including:
- The west face of Emily Peak
- South face of Single Cone
- Right couloir on the north east face of Ben Ross
Derek’s engineering work for NZAC and DOC over nearly three decades includes designs for:
- Plateau Hut
- Mueller Hut
- French Ridge Hut
- Brewster Hut
- Albert Burn Saddle Hut
- Mackinnon Pass Hut
He has also designed around a dozen alpine toilets that allow waste to be flown out and pioneered the use of helicopter-transported panelised sections for alpine structures — making them warmer, drier, and safer.
Derek has also served as a senior member of the Queenstown Alpine Cliff Rescue team for over a decade and has recently been made a Fellow of Engineering New Zealand in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Engineering.
Anna has made a significant contribution to the mountain community in Aotearoa. As an experienced IFMGA guide, Anna has carved out a niche in her New Zealand home at Castle Hill, utilizing the Craigieburn Range on her doorstep to base her guiding company out of. She has instructed, mentored, supported, and inspired many a Cantabrian skier with her energy, knowledge, and humour, along with creating the fantastic link-up of the club fields in the now acknowledged Craigieburn Haute Route.
Whilst Anna has made an exceptional impact in her local environs, her skills and expertise have stretched the length of the New Zealand mountains and to many a country beyond. She played a key part in a North Island programme to encourage different ethnicities into the mountain world and has spent many a trip skiing and climbing her way around the mountains of the South, both in a professional and personal capacity, positively influencing many along her path.
Anna has supported the work of NZAC for a number of years, acting as technical advisor for instruction practice and providing expertise in incident reviews. Anna is a deserving recipient of the Life Member nomination for her past and ongoing impact on the many people she has wholeheartedly interacted with over her mountain life.
Paul Rogers
Paul Rogers has been a guiding and climbing leader within the Fiordland and Darran Mountains communities for over 35 years, making an enduring contribution to New Zealand alpinism and to NZAC. Arriving from the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, Paul was quickly drawn into the Southland climbing scene through early work on the Kepler Track and time at Homer Hut. He went on to complete numerous first ascents and significant repeats throughout Fiordland, the Darrans and the Central Southern Alps, particularly developing routes on the Chasm, Bowen Falls, and Moir’s Mate walls.
As a qualified guide, Paul established and operated his own guiding business for many years, mentoring young climbers and guides and providing safe, professional access to New Zealand’s remote alpine terrain. His practical skills and mentorship have shaped the next generation of alpinists and instructors.
Paul’s service to NZAC extend beyond his personal climbing achievements. He has been an active contributor to the NZAC’s instruction and safety programmes, a consistent advocate for environmental care in alpine regions, and a supporter of the Bill Denz Award and other initiatives recognising New Zealand climbing excellence.
Through his lifetime of work as a climber, guide, mentor and advocate for the mountains, Paul Rogers exemplifies the spirit of the New Zealand Alpine Club.
Brian Wilkins
Brian Wilkins is one of few surviving members of the pioneering generation of New Zealand climbers which includes Sir Edmund Hillary, Jim McFarlane and George Lowe. He recorded first ascents in New Zealand and in the Himalayas.
Brian became a member of NZAC, Otago Section, in 1950. He gained national recognition when he was selected for the 1954 NZAC Barun expedition led by Hillary. The vivid accounts of that expedition can be found in numerous books by Hillary and in Brian's own memoir, Among Secret Beauties, published by Otago University Press in 2014.
Brian’s mountaineering achievements include:
- The first ascent of the North East Ridge of Tititea/Mt Aspiring, 1957
- The first west-to-east traverse of the twin peaks of Mt Earnslaw, 1955
- Participation in the 1954 NZAC expedition to the Barun valley, 1954
- Climbing 21 peaks over 20,000ft in the Barun Mountains near Everest
- First ascent of Pethangtse East, Himalayas, 1954
- First ascent of Pariroa/Castle mount, Wick mountains, 1956
While his serious climbing was concentrated in the 1950s, Brian continued to make contributions to New Zealand mountaineering through participation in NZAC, and Mountain Safety Council. He wrote numerous, deeply researched articles for the New Zealand Alpine Journal and Mountain Safety Council.
Te Papa Tongarewa recently acquired Brian’s boots, goggles, gloves and other items from the 1954 expedition, deeming them ‘of national significance’. Brian was also a remarkable mountain photographer. His collection of slides resides in the Hocken Library.
As Brian turns 100 on 2nd December, his achievements and service represent a rare link to the mid 20th-century era of New Zealand mountaineering.