Graeme places his formative years  in Auckland.  His Masterate and doctoral research in the 1970s on family farming, rural land use and the cultural context of land use decision making laid the foundation for a career built around science-in-action.  This became his life's work.  Starting with the Auckland Regional Authority, with a year as a Claude McCarthy Fellow at his alma mater in 1985, he rose by 1989 to be DOC Regional Conservator for Auckland.  This was a job with a geographic spread.  He managed the implementation of policy (e.g. pest eradication on Tiritiri Matangi, Rangitoto, Motutapu, Browns and Mokohinau Islands) and worked to increase the knowledge and technical skill of staff (e.g. managers of pest eradication programmes on Campbell, Raoul and Little Barrier Islands).

Graeme headed to Wellington in 1995, first as Corporate Advisor, DOC HO and then as Conservation Advisor, to Hon Nick Smith and then Hon Sandra Lee, Ministers of Conservation.  He had a period of relief and release as a Public Policy and Resource Management Consultant before taking up a role as Sustainable Development Advisor, Ministry for the Environment.  In 2003 he took on joint leadership of the Sustainable Development Programme of Action, and in particular the Sustainable Cities Joint Plan of Action for Auckland and the Auckland transport issues.  A year later he returned to Auckland, to Waitakere City, to build relationships amongst central government, regional agencies and Waitakere City.

As a delegate to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (2001-2002) and the World Summit for Sustainable Development (2002) Graeme made major contributions as a New Zealand representative negotiating in areas of energy, oceans, fishing, biodiversity, chemicals, eco-labelling and small island development.

Graeme's special contribution is his belief in the geography of social responsibility, that New Zealand must show the world some alternative directions.

    - edited from Richard Le Heron's citation at the AGM, September 2005