Piera McArthur

Sylvia Margarite Piera McArthur (; 1929 – 23 October 2025) was a New Zealand painter. In December 2011, she was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the arts.

Early life and education McArthur was born in Ramsgate, Kent, England, in 1929. She was one of five children, and her father was a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, and from a "well-known medical dynasty", the Munros of Auchinbowie. The family moved to New Zealand in 1938, settling in Feilding. McArthur was educated at Feilding Convent School and then the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Island Bay, in Wellington, where she won the Society of the Sacred Heart's international prize for excellence, the St Madeleine Sophie award.

Career McArthur married diplomat John G. McArthur, who she had met as a student.

McArthur spent considerable time in Paris and Moscow, as well as postings to Brussels and the UN in New York. She and her husband had six children together.

Honours and awards

In the 2012 New Year Honours, McArthur was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the arts.