The great adventurer Sir Edmund Hillary has died at the age of 88.
Sir Ed was the first man to climb Everest with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953.
They never repeated the feat and in an interview with Reuters in early 2007, Sir Ed said the pair had discussed the possibility of climbing Everest again, but he felt there was little virtue in climbing it many times.
Hillary's health had been in decline since April, after he suffered a fall while in Nepal.
After Everest, Hillary led a number of expeditions to the South Pole and the Himalayas, and devoted his time to helping Nepal's Sherpa people who live in the shadow of Everest.
He also established the Himalayan Trust in the early 1960s and worked tirelessly throughout his life to raise funds and build schools and hospitals in the mountains.
The Trust raised about $318,000 a year and he personally helped build schools, hospitals, bridges, pipelines and even an airfield.
"Sir Ed was not one to bask idly in celebrity. He drew on his international prestige to highlight issues and values which he held dear.
"His enduring commitment to and respect for the Sherpa people reflects the best of what we as New Zealanders can contribute, from our small developed nation helping another less privileged one," she added.
