Stoush over Sir Ed's treasures heads to court

Sir Edmund Hillary's widow and children are at odds over the ownership of some of the treasures he amassed. Photo / Brett Phibbs

A legal row between the widow of Sir Edmund Hillary and his children over who owns some of his treasures heads to court in Auckland today with the hope it will be settled without a full hearing.

Sir Ed's widow, June, Lady Hillary, and his children, Peter and Sarah Hillary, are at odds over who owns some of the treasures Sir Ed had collected since he and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay conquered Mt Everest on May 29 1953.

Both sides were due to hold a case management telephone conference through the High Court later today but a lawyer for Sir Ed's children said it was hoped the case would never get to court.

Last year Lady Hillary put some of Sir Ed's watches, including a Rolex Oyster Perpetual, to a Swiss auction house to be sold.

The move incensed Sir Ed's children, who claimed they owned the watches and other items left by Sir Ed which had been sold or were about to be sold. They won an injunction in the High Court at Auckland preventing the sale.

The Oyster Perpetual was presented to Sir Ed soon after he climbed Mt Everest and under the Protected Objects Act could not be taken out of New Zealand without authority.

The Ministry for Culture and Heritage said Lady Hillary was unlikely to be investigated for sending the watches for sale offshore. It was understood she was unaware the watch could be protected and might need a certificate to be taken out of New Zealand.

Last year when the watches were sent overseas, Mr Hillary told NZPA under his father's will he and Sarah owned the watches and other items that Lady Hillary had given away.

The items were of great significance to his family and to New Zealand and it was "very sad" he and his sister had been forced to take court action to stop his stepmother from going ahead with the sale.

"There have been a number of very significant items from the Ed Hillary collection that do belong to Sarah and I, that have been disposed of inappropriately," he said.

Lawyer Alex Witten-Hannah, who acted for the Hillary children, said today's court matter was a standard procedural telephone conference, the "first in this saga".

It was to establish ownership of items left by Sir Ed and it was hoped the matter would not get to court, he said.

- NZPA