Mr Guy Kingdom Natusch MNZM DSC
Hastings Boys' High School 1935 - 1940
Guy Kingdom Natusch, Royal Navy Sub-Lieutenant, Distinguished Service Cross, Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Mr Natusch was the younger brother of another Akina Man Wall of Fame inductee, Mr. Roy Natusch.
Guy attended Hastings Boys’ High School from 1935 until 1940. In his last year he was Head Boy.
He enlisted in the Royal New Zealand Navy in 1942, serving in the Atlantic War and being involved in the D-Day invasions of 1944. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for ‘courage and devotion to duty on active service, in particular for his bravery using small attack ships on D-Day.
On his return home after the war, he completed his architecture degree at Auckland University before returning to Hawke’s Bay. He joined the family architecture firm and over the next 50 years became a world known and respected architect. His style always emphasized simplicity; the new buildings surroundings and it’s function rather than its overall appearance.
He also developed the Solwood prefabricated housing project. Years ahead of its time, the modern quick build, prefabricated build model is a direct result of Guys foresight and skill.
A passion of his was the preservation of New Zealand’s architectural heritage. He was a founding member of, and a long time consultant to Heritage New Zealand and fought to protect historic and heritage buildings, particularly here in Hawke’s Bay. In 2003, Guy was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to architecture. Even as a 96 year old, he battled the Napier City Council and their Mayor, to ensure that the Napier War Memorial remained as a war memorial and not be converted into a convention centre. This is another battle he won.
Guy passed away in September 2020. He lived by our Akina Man values of integrity, courage, respect and diligence. At his funeral, the Mayor of Napier, Kirsten Wise had this to say about the man.
‘A decorated war hero and world-renowned architect, but above all else an absolute gentleman, dedicated to his family, his friends and his community.’
These are the reasons why Guy Natusch is an inductee of the Hastings Boys’ High School Wall of Fame.
