Ray Jackson worked as a consultant with his own firm in Wellington, RCS Systems, advising clients on their computers, software systems, and web design. But when he was a young man he worked at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand for some time. His data management skills were readily apparent at that early stage in his career. Ray sadly passed away on 20 May 2020. I will always remember Ray with great warmth for the generous and unstinting way in which he helped me and my colleagues very many years ago at the Reserve Bank. He had great skill and diligence as we developed the early work in New Zealand on econometric modelling which went on to provide an important set of tools to assist with policy analysis and policy formation. Ray was an important and indeed critical member of the early team conducting this work at the Bank. These notes pay tribute to him.
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Ian and Jenny McKinnon, marking Ian’s retirement from Wellington Regional Council.
Comments on the wonderful contributions made by Ian and Jenny McKinnon to Wellington and to all the organizations and people they have helped and supported and cared for over many years of service to the community and to education. The comments were made at a function held on 13 November 2019 in honour of Ian and Jenny and to mark Ian’s retirement from the Wellington Regional Council.
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David Bedford was one of New Zealand's leading human resources and industrial relations executives. He had a senior career heading these areas in both the Electricity Corporation of NZ and Telecom New Zealand. He also was later a Councillor and then Chairman of Environment Canterbury. He had an outstanding career and was much admired and liked by his many friends and colleagues. This brief Tribute acknowledges his fine qualities as a leader and as a person.
Full tribute (PDF format 55KB)Rob Cameron was an outstanding New Zealand economist who advanced the cause for good economic policies in many areas during a distinguished career. He encompassed both years at the Treasury and in the merchant bank and corporate advisory worlds. He was a specialist in corporate structure and governance and financial market matters. His firm Cameron Partners became a leading player in these area in New Zealand. He advised governments, corporations and charitable organizations. This Tribute illustrates why he will be missed so much by his wide range of friends and clients. Rob was an outstanding New Zealander.
Full tribute (PDF format 46KB)John Baldwin Munro QSO JP, known to everyone as JB, was a remarkable man. He made a huge contribution to the lives of many New Zealanders. JB suffered from polio as a youngster and he was a foster child from birth. Coping with these setbacks was not only to reveal JB’s enormous courage and strength of personality but also to ignite his inexhaustible drive to help others in the community and particularly those with disabilities. He truly understood the wish of people with both intellectual and physical disabilities to be able to lead normal lives in the normal community. JB was the CEO of IHC NZ for many years and I was his Chairman for much of that time. IHC is New Zealand’s largest voluntary welfare charitable organization. It is devoted to caring for people with an intellectual disability. I have tried to capture some of JB’s wonderful characteristics and his contribution to the welfare of others in these notes about him.
Full tribute (PDF format 221KB)As the former Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank, Grant Spencer, says about Frank Oldfield, "they do not make central bankers like Frank any more". Frank had a wonderful set of characteristics: personable, intelligent, wise, kind and generous. He was wonderfully knowledgeable about central banking and would generously share that knowledge and experience with anyone who needed his help. He was much liked as a friend and work colleague and he got on well with everyone. Frank was the person many of us turned to when we experienced challenging problems in the central banking field. He was a great contributor to the RBNZ and to the training of many young staff. He brought insight and wisdom to many of our discussions and meetings. Like others, I learnt much from him and valued him greatly as a colleague. These notes endeavour to capture some of this.
Full tribute (PDF format 190KB)As CEO of Telecom Corporation of New Zealand Ltd, I recruited Ben McMillen to be the Chief Operating Officer from 1993 until 1996. He came to NZ from a senior executive position in what was then Bell Atlantic. He made an outstanding contribution to the transformation of Telecom into a strongly growing vibrant organisation which was to become the largest listed company in New Zealand. Ben passed away on 12 April 2016 in the United States. These brief notes pay a tribute to him.
Full tribute (PDF format 58KB)I had the privilege of speaking about my brother-in-law, Barry Gibson, at his splendid 70th birthday gathering at Airlie Beach in Queensland on 30 April 2016. His qualities of wit, storytelling, roguish charm, deep friendships, abiding love of family, an always positive attitude to life, and great generosity and kindness to others, are such as to warrant placing on record. This brief speech does that. Friends and family came to Airlie Beach from Japan, England, New Zealand and all over Australia.
Full tribute (PDF format 32KB)Sir Ivor Richardson was an eminent New Zealand and Commonwealth jurist, a leading legal scholar and a member of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. He was President of the NZ Court of Appeal and Chancellor of Victoria University of Wellington.
Yet Sir Ivor maintained the common touch. Ever modest, courteous and reasonable, he was a pleasure to deal with for all manner of people across the full spectrum of society. He had a gift of real and deep insight and a manner of communicating that insight with remarkable clarity but without giving offence. In the commercial world, where I had the good fortune to be Chairman of several of New Zealand’s largest companies, Ivor was enormously respected. The recognition of that high level of integrity was always emphasized for me by its enduring and widespread nature even in the face of judicial decisions which were not always what people might have hoped for.
I was the great beneficiary of Ivor’s friendship and in many ways he was a mentor to me, probably without even realizing that. I learnt much from talking with him. He was a wonderful friend.
Dr David Waite was for many years one of Wellington's leading GP's, a skilled physician, a clinical senior lecturer, a greatly valued consultant, a highly regarded expert on asthma, neurology, and occupational health, and a senior Medical Advisor to a number of large corporations. He was an outstanding medical practitioner and was greatly devoted to and liked by all those patients who came under his care. He loved music and the environment, about both of which he was very knowledgeable. He loved his family and was very proud of his children. He was devoted to his wonderful wife Janet. He also happened to be my close friend and cousin. I was honoured to be able to pay a tribute to an outstanding man and a fine New Zealander.
Full paper (PDF format 196KB)James Alexander Strong AO (1944-2013) was a leading Australian businessman, a strong supporter of the arts, and an enthusiastic sportsman. He was a man of many parts, a splendid work colleague, and a close and always interesting and stimulating friend. I had the priviledge of working closely with him for many years while we were both on the board of Australia’s largest retailer, Woolworths Limited. Among many other roles, he was CEO of DB Breweries in NZ, CEO of Qantas in Australia, Chairman of Woolworths Limited in Sydney and Chairman of the Australian Council for the Arts. I greatly enjoyed working with him and was honoured to be asked to pay tribute to him at his retirement from Woolworths, as sketched in these notes.
Full tribute (PDF format 98KB)Dr Colin Gillion was a leading economist who worked variously with the New Zealand Department of Statistics, the NZ Institute of Economic Research, the National Institute of Economic Research in the United Kingdom, Victoria University of Wellington, Cambridge University in the UK, the Reserve Bank of NZ, the OECD in Paris and finally the International Labour Organization, the ILO, in Geneva. The eulogy pays tribute to his outstanding contributions to economic research and his fine characteristics as a person, a family man and a friend.
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Roger Kerr was a senior NZ Treasury officer who became Executive Director of the New Zealand Business Roundtable for many years (now the NZ Initiative). He was a truly outstanding economist and an outstanding New Zealander. No one contributed more to the development of the ideas which underpinned the advancement of good economic policies in New Zealand. He had a strong and well deserved international profile and recognition. In the world of economics and business he was one of New Zealand's leading figures and a real and talented leader. His contribution to economic research and better policies in New Zealand was huge. When we were both young, I taught him economics at Victoria University of Wellington. He was the most outstanding student I encountered. We became lifelong friends. These notes reflect on his character and his contribution to NZ.
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Emeritus Professor Sir Frank Holmes was a leading New Zealand academic, economist, corporate adviser and a much valued government adviser for half a century. But beyond those distinguished credentials, Sir Frank was a wonderful friend and mentor to many students, including me. He had a remarkable memory, a fine mind, wrote with real clarity, and had a willingness to share his great knowledge and considerable wisdom with people from all walks of life. He was a senior Professor at Victoria University of Wellington but also had extensive private sector experience and advised successive governments on trade matters, education policy and a wide range of economic issues. Given his deep knowledge of applied economic policy and his clarity and insightfulness, he was tailor made for the many roles he undertook, always with graciousness and a wonderful work ethic. He was a splendid New Zealander and a marvellous friend.
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Sir Ronald Trotter was for many years a giant of the New Zealand corporate world. At the request of the Chairman of the ANZ Banking Group, I prepared these notes in late 1997 on the occasion of Ron’s retirement from the Board of Directors of the Bank in Melbourne. I was also a Director of the Bank and Chairman of the Bank in New Zealand. It would be fair to say that Sir Ronald, known to everyone as Ron, was regarded as one of the icons of the New Zealand corporate and industrial scene. Over several decades he made a remarkable contribution not only to the various corporations with which he was associated but also in terms of corporate, government, and rural community interests. He had a great gift of mentorship and friendship, characteristics from which I was a great beneficiary. I succeeded him as Chairman of Fletcher Challenge (later Fletcher Building) and as Chairman of Te Papa, the Museum of NZ, and as a Director of the ANZ Banking Group.
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My Mother Margaret was orphaned at 18 months. She met my father Reg when she was 16 and they became wonderfully inseparable. For my sister Jill and me, the close-knit family became our rock. We benefitted hugely from our parents’ great depth of affection, their kindness and caring, and their perpetual guidance (as was the way for our generation). They gave us much love but also a strength and a framework which was to be the underpinning for the rest of our lives. My Mother was multi-talented and loved people. Here is my tribute to her at the time of her funeral in October 2008 in Masterton.
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Roderick Deane, Telecom Chairman, pays tribute to his Father, Reginald (Reg) Roderick Deane general manager of the Wairarapa Electric Power Board and president of the Electrical Supply Authorities.
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My Father Reg went to war as one of a group of eight in the RNZAF. He was the only one to return home. So my Mother Margaret and my sister Jill and I were extremely fortunate. He was a fine father and a real community person; he was modest and kind; intelligent and sharing of his knowledge; a leader in his industry and communities; and a person who added so much to the lives of others, including particularly to his family. He was an outstanding administrator and a real leader. The huge debt I owe him could never be described adequately. He and my Mother were seriously in love from the day they met and it was a love which never wavered. Here is my tribute at his funeral. He passed away in January 2004 in Masterton.
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I met Joyce, Chas’s wife, in 1961 when Gillian’s family met me at the Railway Station on my first visit to them in Gisborne. I immediately fell in love with her and we remained the very closest of friends throughout her life. She lived her life for her family, for her friends and for other people. Her generosity and kindness knew no bounds. She was a marvellous cook and a great caregiver to many. I never heard her say a cross word (even when we all often travelled together). This is my tribute to Joyce on the occasion of her funeral. She was one of the loveliest people I have ever known. Joyce left us on 16 June 2002 in Gisborne.
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Charles Ernest Gibson, husband of Joyce, father of Gillian, Barry, Jan and Ross, and proud grandparent, died on 20 August 2001. He was the most wonderful man, a loving and deeply caring husband, father and grandfather; a warm and empathetic friend to many; one of the world’s wits but never unkindly; always generous and great company; a farmer and a splendid gardener. As one of his sons-in-law I was asked to do an eulogy for him. Words do not do him justice as he was such a special person. But here is my tribute at Chas’s funeral in Gisborne.
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Philip Coney recruited me as a young economist at the Reserve Bank of NZ. I had the priviledge of learning a vast amount from him and working closely with him over many years. He was the Bank’s Chief Economist, one of the finest economists I have ever known and certainly the most modest and least recognized despite his formidable intellect and his wonderfully wide and deep knowledge of economics. He was a lovely man, forever giving to others, wise and gentle, but with real depth of insight and knowledge. He was a great mentor although his rapid mode of speech and his understated character meant that not everyone was able to maintain the pace and recognize the insights. I could not have wished for a better boss as a young economist. He stood up for sound policies at a time when these were often not pursued in New Zealand. Amongst his advice to me were the remarks “There are only a few truly outstanding leaders in any arena ... pursue the opportunity to work closely with them to really develop your own talents and those of the teams around you” and “always look for better intellects than your own to work with”. I was asked to give an eulogy at his funeral.
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