Remembering Igor Drecki

In the eight weeks since we lost our friend and Vice President, Igor Drecki, we have done our best to process the shock and pick up the pieces. We've laughed and cried, shared stories and memories, and each found our own way to say goodbye to a man who touched everyone he met.  Igor made the most of the time he was given.  His love and care for the cartographic community will live on in us all.

Igor's drive and seemingly ceaseless energy for all things cartographic was infectious. He was one of those lucky people who turned their passion into a career, and he always had a dozen projects underway.  Igor's legacy is all around us, from university walking maps to GeoCart, CartoPRESS books to the ICA News and, most importantly, his fervent dedication to the NZ Cartographic Society, which he helped revive in the 1990s and has been a driving force behind ever since.  Over the years, Igor honed his talents while working at Wises, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, the University of Auckland, and finally the Alexander Turnbull Library.  He built a knowledge of NZ cartographic history that was second to none, he spearheaded the digitisation of our national map archive, he cultivated an amazing network of international connections, and he was determined that the art of cartography should be promoted in all its forms at every opportunity.  His work will endure and continue to shape NZ cartography for decades to come.

We invite all of Igor's friends and colleagues to join us in Wellington on Friday, 3 November, to celebrate Igor's life and legacy.  We will convene at 12 p.m. in the National Library Auditorium (lower ground floor - entry from Aitken Street), with refreshments to follow around 3 p.m.  There will be a mix of speakers and presentations, and we encourage everyone to submit their memories and stories using the form at the bottom of this page. 

For those unable to attend in person, the event will be recorded and (hopefully) streamed online. Watch this page for Zoom connection details to be shared closer to the date.