Pioneering scientist helped nations harness geothermal energy

A University of Auckland scientist who helped developing nations to harness geothermal energy, Professor Manfred Hochstein, died in Auckland in November.

His funeral service was held in the University’s Maclaurin Chapel on 29 November. He was 93.

From 1980 to 1994, the German-born academic headed the University of Auckland’s Geothermal Institute, which taught graduates from overseas countries how to develop geothermal power stations.

The institute was backed by the United Nations Development Programme and New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs ministry. Over his career, Hochstein helped nations such as Chile, China, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Rwanda, Uruguay and Indonesia.

The International Geothermal Association described him as “a pioneering scientist, educator, and one of the most influential figures in the development of modern geothermal science".

Despite an extremely tough childhood in Germany before, during and after World War II, Hochstein maintained “a sort of stoic cheerfulness,” said his collaborator, friend and former student Dr Alan Nunns.

Growing up in poverty, Hochstein knew hard labour young and worked in a coal mine from age 14 to support himself and his mother, according to a eulogy at his funeral.

He discovered his love of geology and geophysics at a mining academy, studied at universities in Germany, and became a glaciologist in Antarctica – the Hochstein Ridge is named after him – before joining New Zealand’s Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.

In 1973, he began teaching at the University of Auckland.

Nunns recalled Hochstein’s ubiquitous beret, the tobacco traces scattered through his students’ essays from his roll-your-own cigarettes, his unrivalled teaching of applied geophysics, and his relaxed attitude toward students handling large qualities of gelignite for geophysical surveys.

“Professor Hochstein’s legacy will endure through the countless scientists he mentored, the geothermal advancements he championed, and the love he shared with his family,” an obituary said.

He played the cello, loved art and literature, and pursued his academic interests until a debilitating stroke at age 87, his family say.

Hochstein is survived by wife Marlene; daughters Barbara (a radiologist), Eva (a retired obstetrician and gynaecologist) and Gina (a lecturer in architecture); and grandchildren Nikolaus, Mark, Peter, Olivia and Isabella.