John Drawbridge MBE (27 December 1930 – 24 July 2005) was one of New Zealand's most significant visual artists. He worked in fields as diverse as oil and watercolour painting, large public murals, printmaking and stained glass.

John Drawbridge began his career as a textile designer. Over a 50-year period he created over 200 limited edition mezzotints, etchings, drypoints and lithographs. John also worked in oil and watercolour, large public murals, printmaking and stained glass. His murals include the New Zealand House Mural in London (now housed at the Cotton Building at Victoria University Wellington), the Expo 70 Mural (rebuilt at the National Library of New Zealand), a 42 metre-long 4.8 metre-high mural in the Banqueting Hall in the Beehive (Parliament Building, Wellington) and John's 14 Stations of the Cross stained glass works at the Home of Compassion Chapel also in Wellington.

Drawbridge was born Karori and lived at Island Bay in Wellington for over 40 years. he attended the Wellington Teachers College. was a tutor in printmaking at the Wellington Polytech School of Design for 25 years (later becoming Massey University, College of Creative Arts, from whom he received an honorary doctorate and was also inducted into the Massey University Hall of Fame).

Drawbridge's work is included in many international collections including in the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and in New Zealand institutions such as Te Papa Tongarewa (Museum of New Zealand), the Auckland City Art Gallery and the Christchurch PublicArt Gallery.

In the 1978 New Year Honours, Drawbridge was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to art.

Sourced and adapted from https://www.thearts.co.nz/artists/john-drawbridge and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Drawbridge