Queen's Birthday Honours 2016: Bankers, mentors and philanthropists

Top businesspeople to be recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours include two who have chaired Westpac bank, the founders of successful businesses and generous philanthropists.

They are, in alphabetical order:

Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZOM)
Jan Dawson, of Auckland, is the former chief executive of KPMG New Zealand and has more than 30 years’ experience in the financial and accounting sector. Her professional directorships have included Air New Zealand, AIG Insurance New Zealand, Meridian Energy, Goodman Fielder, Counties Manukau District Health Board and Beca. She was the first woman to chair a major bank, Westpac New Zealand, in 2015. Other appointments include the University of Auckland council, the capital investment committee of the National Health Board since 2011 and as a trustee of the National Maritime Museum. Ms Dawson was the first woman president of Yachting New Zealand from 2007-13. She was admitted to the North Shore Business Hall of Fame in 2010 and named Chartered Accountant of the Year in 2011.

Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZOM)
Stewart Barnett, of Christchurch, was involved in the meat industry as chief executive of the Primary Producers Co-Operative Society (PPCS and now Silver Fern Farms) and as a director of Marlborough Seafoods and of Blue River Dairy. He was a member of the NZ Meat Producers Board and Deer Industry New Zealand. Outside business, Mr Barnett chaired the building committee of the Carisbrook Stadium Charitable Trust, which built the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin. He was project director on the rebuild of Rangi Ruru Girls’ School after the Christchurch earthquakes. This was a Gold Medal winner at the NZ Commercial Projects Awards.

David Bennett, of Whanganui, along with his wife Marion, established Pacific Helmets (NZ) in 1982 and over the decades have built it into a significant business exporting safety helmets internationally. The company supports charitable causes and employs a staff who have physical handicaps that preclude them from some other forms of employment.

Maurice Clark, of Wellington, has been the owner and managing director of McKee Fehl Constructors since 1986. He has been responsible for the restoration of several heritage buildings in Wellington, including the 1908 Public Trust building, the 1938 former Government Life Building and the 1940 former Defence building on Stout St.

Mark Greenwood, of Te Puke, has developed an international reputation in the international biosecurity community as an expert in fumigation. He is the owner and managing director of Genera, which provides biosecurity treatments. He is also the New Zealand representative of the International Maritime Fumigation Organisation.

Peter Haythornthwaite, of Waimate North, has played a key role in devising and implementing the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Better by Design programme and the establishment of the Best Awards for New Zealand design. He formed Peter Haythornthwaite Design in 1979, which he sold to his staff in 2000. He helped design the Lomak (light operated mouse and keyboard), a New Zealand invention that enables physically impaired people to use computers more easily.

Chris Kelly, of Wellington, is an agri-business leader, who was chief executive of government-owned Landcorp Farming from 2001-13. He introduced dairy and deer farming to the company, which is the country’s largest farm operation, increasing its revenue to $230 million. He is chairman of Beef + Lamb Genetics and Ag Research subsidiary AgVax Developments, a director of the Crown Irrigation Investment Co and chancellor of Massey University.

Tara Lorigan, of Auckland, founded Co.OfWomen in 2009, a business support organisation that champions the success of entrepreneurial women. Born in Ireland, and who emigrated to New Zealand as a child, she founded Growmybiz in 2007 to support owner-led businesses such as Pita Bread and Bookabach. From 2003-06 she was director of incubation and marketing at the AUT University’s Technology Park. (Honorary)

John Perham, of Carterton, is the founder and chairman of Crimestoppers Trust, an independent organisation through which people can provide information about crime and wrongdoing to the police but be guaranteed anonymity. He developed an Integrity Line where, for a nominal annual fee, organisations in the private and public sectors (such as Auckland Airport, NZ Post and Housing NZ) can implement an anonymous whistleblower service for their staff, contractors and customers. Mr Perham has a background in business and public service as a former commissioner of Inland Revenue, chief executive of the National Provident Fund and deputy secretary of the Treasury.

Annette Presley, of Auckland, started her first company, the IT recruitment firm Stratum, in 1987 at 24. The NBR Rich Lister went on to co-found several successful companies, including Call Australia, CallPlus and i4free. She is an investor and mentor to Creative HQ’s Lightning Lab programme that supports start-up businesses that have at least one female co-founder. She was a patron of the charity StepUP, which gives business inspiration to teenagers, and has been actively involved in supporting other charities such as Dress for Success, Shine and Kidz First Children’s Hospital in South Auckland. In 2015, Ms Presley established her own charity Elicit – the dream catchers, a camp to inspire teenagers to strive for their dreams, a programme that she has already run in schools for 10 years. The same year, Ms Presley (who held a 33% stake) and Malcolm Dick (66%) sold their telecommunications company CallPlus to Australia's M2 (now part of Vocus) for $250 million.

Cathy Quinn, of Auckland, chairs law firm Minter Ellison and has been a champion and mentor for aspiring businesswomen. She is a member of New Zealand Global Women and a trustee of Valens Group. She was a member of the Securities Commission for nine years and the co-author of Morison’s Company and Securities Law, a leading textbook. Ms Quinn was a member of the 2008 Capital Markets Development Taskforce, which made significant recommendations to improve securities law, and pioneered the annual Minter Ellison Corporate Governance Symposium in 2003.

Nicholas (Nick) Smith, of Dunedin, has contributed to the media industry for more than 40 years. He is a director of Allied Press, which owns the Otago Daily Times, and chairman of Star Media Group Christchurch. As chairman of CTV in Christchurch, he was instrumental in reviving it as a tribute to those who had lost their lives after the February 2011 earthquake destroyed the company’s building and killed 16 members of staff. Mr Smith is a life member and past president of the Otago Cricket Association. He raised $2 million from public funders toward the redevelopment of the University Oval to provide a first class cricket ground for Dunedin.

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZOM)
Robert (Bob) Berry, of Queenstown, established Oamaru's Whitestone Cheese in the late 1980s in a converted garage, covering both the production and marketing of the final products. It is now a major boutique cheese producer employing more than 60 people and exporting internationally.

Bruce Dickson, of Whanganui, is an award-winning architect who has been influential in the redevelopment and maintenance of his city’s CBD, a strong advocate for more than 30 years for the retention of heritage buildings and the driving force behind developing a vision for the city looking towards 2040.

Michael Ferrari, of Dunedin, has held a range of leadership positions with the Otago Southland Employers’ Association, the NZ Employers’ Federation and Business New Zealand. He has volunteered with Business Mentors New Zealand since 1999 and has worked with more than 250 businesses in Otago and 19 businesses in the Pacific Islands.

Andy Stevenson, of Gisborne, is an aerial topdressing entrepreneur and a world leader, innovator and mentor in the field of fixed wing aviation. He owns Farmers Air has flown more than 30,000 accident-free hours since 1964. He also formed Kiwi Air, an aerial surveying company that has covered 70% of the world’s countries, including remote areas such as the West African Sahara Desert, central Africa and the Northern Artic of Canada and Greenland.

Peter Wilson, of Otaki, is a banker and company director with a background that includes being a director of Eastern and Central Savings Bank and its successors, and a director and chairman of Trust Bank New Zealand. More recently, he was chairman of Westpac New Zealand from 2006-15. In the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquakes, he oversaw Westpac’s establishment of the Westpac Business and Community Hub and the Canterbury Care Fund. Mr Wilson was a member of the NZ Markets Disciplinary Tribunal until 2013 and is chairman of Arvida Group, PF Olsen Group and deputy chairman of Meridian Energy.

Tune into NBR Radio’s Sunday Business with Andrew Patterson on Sunday morning, for analysis and feature-length interviews.