He spent 12 years on the Franklin Local Board before resigning due to ill health in February.
Malcolm Bell, who represented Beachlands, Maraetai, Whitford, Clevedon and Hunua on the Franklin Local Board, passed away on Tuesday 13 October.
Fellow Board members were expressing sadness at the news, with Andrew Kay and Gary Holmes both paying tribute on Tuesday evening.
“He was also a long-serving member of the Local Board. When Malcolm spoke, people listened. His commitment to advocating for his community was unmatched,” Kay, a fellow Justice of the Peace, said.
“We received very sad news today of the passing of former Franklin Local Board member Malcolm Bell who represented the Wairoa subdivision for many years. Condolences to Malcolm’s friends and family,” Holmes said.
Bell was first elected to the Board’s Wairoa subdivision in 2013 and was returned at every election after that, most recently in October 2025.
He lived in both Beachlands and Hunua during his time on the Board.
Early in his first term he campaigned for greater access to the Hunua Regional Park, which eventually led to the creation of the Hunua Traverse.
He helped turn the Paparata Local Purpose Reserve from a grazing paddock into a playground.
He also worked on the Hunua Village Green and the Sunkist Bay concept plan in Beachlands, and backed planting at Hunua Domain and improvements to Ada Platts-Mills Reserve in Maraetai.
He sat on the Auckland Airport noise committee and on advisory groups for emergency management, play and Hunua pest control.
He also represented the Board at quarries in Whitford, Beachlands, Clevedon and Hunua.
Midway through his time on the Board he became a Justice of the Peace, and he officiated at Franklin’s citizenship ceremonies, leading new citizens through the oath.
Kay said Bell had been a mentor to him, particularly in learning to officiate at those ceremonies.
Auckland Council received Bell’s resignation on Thursday 26 February, and Clare Alder won the by-election for his seat in June.
When he stepped down, colleagues paid tribute to his work.
“He and I started on the board at the same time, and on a personal level, I will miss his collaborative approach and support,” Franklin Local Board chair Alan Cole said at the time.
“Malcolm was always happy to get his hands dirty at community tree planting days throughout the Franklin area,” Cole said.
“He got the big picture stuff. He was hard-working and interested in more than his home patch,” Franklin ward councillor Andy Baker said earlier this year.
“Coming onto the Local Board when it was still in its infancy, he contributed immensely to establishing its presence and creating understanding of its role within Franklin,” Baker said.
“Malcolm worked hard to ensure people were connected, information was shared and relationships were fostered in the community and at council,” former Board chair Angela Fulljames, who worked alongside him for most of his tenure, said in March.
“There probably isn’t an event or community group activity that Malcolm hasn’t attended, volunteered or participated in within Franklin,” she said.
“A great tōtara tree has fallen in the great forest of Tāne,” Kay said.
