Geoff Lealand

Geoff Lealand lectured on screen topics at Waikato University for 25 years, and spent time as chairman of the university's then Film and Television Studies Department. Colleague Ann Hardy described him as a "populist academic" who wanted "as many people as possible" to benefit from his writing and research. Lealand spent four years as a trustee of NZ On Screen's governing body, and was a judge for the Qantas TV Awards. His interests included Kiwi screen history and developing media literacy in young people; he also created an extensive website devoted to New Zealand's independent cinemas. Lealand died on 2 July 2022. He was 75.

Geoff was a practical, pragmatic academic who made meaningful, connected research. He was a social historian with a wide range of interests, including music. Writer, film enthusiast and video store owner Richard Swainson, The Waikato Times, 5 July 2022