Overview
- Christie was found at his home in Nelson on August 27, with police confirming the case is under investigation and will go to the coroner.
- Local outlets reported the death is being treated as a possible or presumed suicide, with the official cause yet to be determined.
- New Zealand Rugby and the Highlanders issued statements expressing deep sadness, noting his roles as a player and later a coach.
- After retiring in 2018 due to severe concussion symptoms, he reported headaches, memory loss and fatigue, suspected CTE and planned to donate his brain for research.
- Earlier this year he accused NZR of withholding player-safety recommendations he helped draft, as CEO Mark Robinson acknowledged they were adopted internally but not published, and he supported the Billy Guyton Foundation following his former teammate’s 2023 suicide and post-mortem CTE diagnosis.