Gregory Riethmaier

Gregory Riethmaier
Born
Gregor Hans Otto Riethmaier

(1913-11-18)18 November 1913
Munich, Germany
Died25 April 2004(2004-04-25) (aged 91)
Auckland, New Zealand
OccupationPhotographer

Gregory Riethmaier (born Gregor Hans Otto Riethmaier, 18 November 1913 – 25 April 2004) was a German–New Zealand photographer.

Early life

Riethmaier was born in Munich, Germany, in 1913 (some sources state 1914) into a Roman Catholic family who ran a tavern. His father was killed in action during the First World War.

As a youth, Riethmaier was an admirer of naval officer Count Felix von Luckner. In 1936 he secured a position as radio operator on Luckner's boat Seeteufel ("Sea-Devil"), which departed Germany in April 1937 on a goodwill world tour. The vessel arrived in Auckland, New Zealand, in February 1938; having fallen out with Luckner during the voyage, Riethmaier applied to remain in Auckland. He quickly found work and began studying commerce at Auckland University College. However, as a German national in an Allied country, he was arrested in December 1939 shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War, and was interned with other "enemy aliens" for the duration of the war on Somes Island near Wellington. Under the terms of the Geneva Conventions, he was allowed to continue his studies at Victoria University College while interned.

Photography career

After the war, Riethmaier became a professional photographer and established his own business in Auckland under the anglicised name "Mr Gregory". He was granted New Zealand citizenship in 1955. In 1959, he joined the National Publicity Studios (part of the New Zealand government's Tourism and Publicity Department), later becoming Senior Photographer.

Riethmaier published four books of photography, including two on the city of Auckland (1968 and 1973), and one on Western and American Samoa (1973). His first book, Rebecca and the Maoris (1964), focused on netballer Rebecca Faulkner Chaplow and her life in the Rotorua Māori community. Contemporary reviewers found the Chaplow book "delightful" and "well designed"; retrospective commentators have adjudged the work as somewhat patronising in its depiction of its Māori subjects.

Personal life

In 1949, Riethmaier married Elsie Capper (1920–2009); the couple had three children. He died in Auckland on 25 April 2004, aged 91.

His unpublished memoir is held in the National Library of New Zealand.

Bibliography

References

  1. 1 2 "Burial record - Gregor Hans Otto Riethmaier". Cemeteries. Auckland Council. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  2. ↑ "Death Search". Births, Deaths & Marriages Online. NZ Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 18 February 2025. Registration No. 2004/9252
  3. 1 2 Pickmere, Arnold (21 May 2004). "Obituary: Gregor Riethmaier". NZ Herald.
  4. ↑ "Riethmaier, Gregor, 1914-2004". Kura Heritage Collections Online. Auckland Council Libraries. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Bade, James N. (1998). "Gregory Riethmeier". In Bade, James N. (ed.). Out of the Shadow of War: the German connection with New Zealand in the Twentieth Century. Oxford University Press. pp. 218–223. ISBN 978-0-19-558363-2.
  6. ↑ Bade, James N. (2006). Sea Devil: Count von Luckner in New Zealand and the Pacific. Wellington: Steele Roberts. ISBN 9781877338618.
  7. ↑ Johnston, Martin (28 February 2019). "German aristocrat's cunning wartime escape from Auckland prison camp". NZ Herald.
  8. ↑ "To Be Interned: Germans arrested in Auckland". Timaru Herald. 23 December 1939 – via PapersPast.
  9. ↑ "Internment order: Auckland residents". Grey River Argus. 28 December 1939 – via PapersPast.
  10. ↑ Bell, Leonard (17 November 2017). Strangers Arrive: Emigrés and the Arts in New Zealand, 1930–1980. Auckland University Press. ISBN 9781775589549.
  11. ↑ "Literary Views & Reviews". The Press. 28 December 1968. p. 4 – via PapersPast.
  12. ↑ Bush, Ernest E. (November 1973). "Books: Samoa". Te Ao Hou (74): 62–63 – via PapersPast.
  13. ↑ "Literary Views & Reviews". The Press. 28 April 1973. p. 10 – via PapersPast.
  14. ↑ "Inter-Racial Delegation From N.Z." The Press. 18 June 1970 – via PapersPast.
  15. ↑ "Letters in New Zealand, 1964". The Press. 30 January 1965 – via PapersPast.
  16. ↑ Orbell, Margaret (September 1965). "Books: Rebecca and the Maoris". Te Ao Hou. New Zealand Maori Affairs Department – via PapersPast.
  17. ↑ Skinner, Damien (2004). "Accidental Tourists: Ans Westra, Gregory Riethmaier and the National Publicity Studios in Rotorua". In Smith, Anna; Wevers, Lydia (eds.). On Display: New Essays in Cultural Studies. Victoria University Press. pp. 94–95. ISBN 978-0-86473-454-9.
  18. ↑ Moon, Paul (2024). Ans Westra: A Life in Photography. Massey University Press. ISBN 9781991016553.
  19. ↑ Eggleton, David (2006). Into the Light: A History of New Zealand Photography. Craig Potton Publishing. p. 106. ISBN 9781877333545.
  20. ↑ "Marriage Search". Births, Deaths & Marriages Online. NZ Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 18 February 2025. Marriage Registration No. 1949/1677
  21. ↑ "Death Search". Births, Deaths & Marriages Online. NZ Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 18 February 2025. Death Registration No. 2009/21250
  22. ↑ "MANUSCRIPT: Riethmaier, Gregory, 1913-2004: A German immigrant remembers". National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 20 February 2025.