Issue 7, 2014
Leadership C e l e b r a t i n g
g r e a t
N e w
Z e a l a n d e r s
THE HEART OF CHANGE
The birth of Blake Station
DERRING-DO
Nurturing our next entrepreneurs
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Tracking 10 Blake Leaders
www.sirperterblaketrust.org
Future leader? Are you, or someone you know, a bold, energetic woman who is helping shape New Zealand’s future? We’ve partnered with Fairfax Media to recognise and reward women who are having an impact well beyond their formal roles, using their passion and influence to improve the world for others.
Find out more and nominate someone you know by 4 July at westpac.co.nz/womenofinfluence
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Leadership C e l e b r a t i n g
g r e a t
N e w
Z e a l a n d e r s
Editor: Suzanne McFadden Contributors: Lt Gen The Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae, Sir John Anderson, Elana Hawke, Suzanne McFadden, Carroll du Chateau, Phil Keoghan, Dame Alison Paterson Project Leader: Matt Fraser Designer: Nikki McCardle, Flyte Creative Production
contents 5
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Printing: Soar Print Cover: Ivor Wilkins original photo
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MAKING IT HAPPEN TEN YEARS ON
Sir Peter Blake Trust Chief Executive Shelley Campbell pays tribute to a decade of achievements and achievers
FOLLOWING THE TORTOISE’S TALE
Lt Gen The Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae advocates finding your strength and staying on course to reach your goals
A CAPTAIN ROUSING HIS CREW
Be prepared with the skills and attributes to shape your future, writes Sir John Anderson
FINDING A PASSION AND A PURPOSE
Socio-environmental scientist Elana Hawke reveals her dramatic, and hugely inspiring, gap year
10 LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS FOR CHANGE
A research station in the Sub-Antarctic could make a world of difference for the planet’s future, writes Suzanne McFadden
15 SAILOR OF THE YEAR
Louisa Thyne’s voyage from chef to fitness instructor and Navy Sailor of the Year
16 WHO WANTS TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR?
Carroll du Chateau discovers how we encourage a new generation to consider a career as an entrepreneur
20 A LIST FOR LIFE
Phil Keoghan explains the currency of imagination in acquiring great experiences
21 DEFINITION OF A LEADER
Dame Alison Paterson looks to other Kiwi leaders for their definition of success
22 A ROUND OF NINE WITH LYDIA KO
The Halberg Supreme Award winner describes the challenges of being a teenager on golf’s pro tour
24 ON THE CREST OF A NEW WAVE
Young sailing sensations Peter Burling and Blair Tuke tell Suzanne McFadden of their next bold plans
PO Box 106-955, Customs Street, Auckland www.sirpeterblaketrust.org Leadership is the officially recognised magazine of the Sir Peter Blake Trust, and is published by Soar Print in partnership with the Sir Peter Blake Trust. Except where specifically stated, the opinions expressed and material published in Leadership are not necessarily those of the publisher or of the Sir Peter Blake Trust. Content of Leadership is protected by copyright, and must not be reproduced in any form without prior permission of the Sir Peter Blake Trust.
27 SPECIAL SALUTE TO BLAKEY
Why is the Sir Peter Blake Torbay Regatta the biggest small-boat regatta in the Southern Hemisphere?
28 NOT JUST STANDING ON A SOAP BOX
Ten years on, Pippa, Lady Blake, shares her hopes for the Sir Peter Blake Trust’s future
30 ONWARDS AND UPWARDS
On the 10th anniversary of the Leadership awards, we discover what 10 Blake Leaders are up to now
34 blake leaders
Celebrating past winners of the Sir Peter Blake Trust Leadership Awards LEADERSHIP Celebrating great New Zealanders | 3
Mobilising & inspiring the next generation of leaders and marine environmentalists.
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making it happen ten years on On the 25th of June, 2004, the Sir Peter Blake Trust was launched with the aim of continuing the extraordinary leadership legacy of one of our greatest New Zealanders, Sir Peter Blake. A decade on and the Sir Peter Blake Trust continues to go from strength to strength: inspiring and motivating young people to achieve their dreams; recognising New Zealanders who display Sir Peter’s drive and determination to succeed; and a willingness to take their teams, and sometimes even a nation, along with them. I think Sir Peter Blake today would have been proud of the contribution that our Blake Leaders make to this country, that he would be thrilled by the achievements of Young Blake Expeditions, and amused that his “red socks” still adorn the feet of ordinary New Zealanders both here and overseas. The Trust is focused on lifting the leadership performance of our young people and encouraging them to dare to dream, and so each year we mobilise a “Dream Team” to inspire thousands of Kiwi kids in classrooms throughout the country. We also celebrate amazing leadership with hundreds of events across New Zealand during Leadership Week and we engage young leaders who are passionate about the environment in adventures, which encourage them to act now in their local communities. The last decade has taught us that a mantra of “leadership in action” means not just talking about leadership but making things happen. Not just interesting things but really great things, some that even have the potential to positively impact future generations to come. The most outstanding all-round leaders I have met are never too busy to stop and share their knowledge or help others. They understand that leadership is not just about reaching their own potential but how they can use their skills and experience to bring out the best in others. With each year, the Sir Peter Blake Trust’s network grows larger with such outstanding examples of what great leadership looks like. I’d like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to each and every one of those people who have contributed in both large, and small, ways to the Trust since 2004. Leadership that matters is also having a desire to make a difference in issues critical to our collective future success. Along with our partners, we have pursued the dream to build Blake Station for New Zealand in the Sub-Antarctic. There could be no more perfect tribute to Sir Peter, than a research station in the Southern Ocean designed to assist New Zealanders to understand and adapt to the changes going on with our oceans and climate. I hope you enjoy this edition of Leadership magazine, and please share your own “Make it Happen” Leadership week stories and adventures with us online at www.sirpeterblaketrust.org Shelley Campbell, Chief Executive, Sir Peter Blake Trust, Blake Leader 2007
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The Governor-General, Sir Jerry Mateparae, with Hamilton East School children for Red Socks Day.
FOLLOWING THE TORTOISE’S TALE lt gen the rt hon sir jerry mateparae, gnzm qso Governor-General of New Zealand and Patron of the Sir Peter Blake Trust
Kia ora! When we look at people who have been high achievers, we sometimes put their success down to good luck. But in my experience, successful people have made their luck. They have made things happen – for themselves and for others. The story of the tortoise and the hare is about the need to harness our The Blake Medal and the Blake Leader awards recognise people natural ability and doing something with it. The hare is lucky to have who have made things happen for themselves and for others. They been born with attributes which mean he could win a race with a include people who have made a difference to people’s lives in tortoise with ease, but he wastes time and doesn’t health, justice, disability issues or sport – stay focused. The tortoise doesn’t have those and outstanding educators; women and men "Be positive about the natural advantages but he stays on course, keeps who transform the lives of the young people skills you do have, and the goal in sight and reaches the finish line first. in their charge and create an environment
My message for this year’s theme, Make it approach new challenges where everyone has the opportunity to excel. They are all great examples of what happen, is to identify what you are good at, as an opportunity to leadership can achieve and are inspirational what you would like to become, and stay focused role models for young New Zealanders. on reaching your goals. If opportunities and develop and progress." possibilities come along which will help you get I commend the Sir Peter Blake Trust for there, seize them. Don’t be held back by thinking you don’t have all its work to involve our young people in causes which were dear the skills or all the knowledge required. Be positive about the skills to Sir Peter’s heart, and thereby instil in them a greater sense of you do have, and approach new challenges as an opportunity to personal responsibility for what happens in our communities and develop and progress. If you fail, see it as a momentary setback and our environment. make sure you do things differently next time. Confucius said: “Real leaders are ordinary people with extraordinary I also urge you to think about how you can make good things determination.” In other words, we can all make a difference if we happen for others – for your friends, your whanau, your community. commit to doing so. I hope that for everyone participating in Leadership Contributing to the wellbeing of others is a big part of what it takes Week, this will be the first step on that journey. Good luck! to be a good citizen. 6 | LEADERSHIP Celebrating great New Zealanders
WE’VE BEEN BUILDING A BUSINESS CALLED SPARK
From August this year, Telecom New Zealand will become Spark New Zealand. It’s a bold step, but our business has been radically changing for some time. At its core is the technology and service that inspires people to connect and share their lives in amazing ways, and helps businesses compete and prosper. This name change signals our desire to help unleash the potential of all New Zealanders. It continues a journey that has seen us invest hundreds of millions of dollars each year realising this country’s digital future: 4G mobile, ultra-fast broadband, public WiFi hotspots nationwide, new data centres, online fundraising platform Givealittle, to name a few. A dedicated and passionate team are busy building a company inspired by their fellow New Zealanders. A company that’s proud to support the Sir Peter Blake Trust in its goal to inspire and celebrate New Zealand leadership. Here’s to the future.
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a captain rousing his crew sir john anderson Acclaimed businessman and advisor to government and industry, Sir Peter Blake Medallist 2005
An essential part of life is to dream and have aspirations. When we are young and in our formative years, our goals normally focus on the here and now: how to solve problems, handle relationships and to survive and grow. It is when we approach maturity, the early teens now past, that our goals and ambitions for the future take shape. This is a difficult period for some; for while we will have a dream or an aspiration of a career, or a way of life or a transition stage - such as high performance sport or an overseas experience - the question is, how can we make it happen? An important start is to have acquired skills and attributes in preparation. This is where leadership skills play an important role. Self-confidence gives us the courage to attempt something new; creativity and talent underpin an appetite for change and direction; independence and intuition are great builders of character. These attributes help us to become decisive, willing to make decisions and become leaders. The “Blake Trust family” has grown over the past 10 years in the number of developing leader recipients, and in turn this has resulted in a positive and far-reaching influence in the growth of our future leaders. My first real leadership position arose when I became chief executive of a merchant bank – Southpac – in the early 1980s. The financial markets had just been deregulated and were exposed to market forces. To change the company to survive in this new environment was a daunting challenge. To make this happen we determined that we required young, educated people with strong ethical values and a burning ambition to succeed. Everyone received training, particularly on the job, and they were provided serious leadership roles and opportunities. The 60 new
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executives thrived with the responsibilities and the challenges which, in turn, led Southpac to become a leading investment bank by the end of the decade, at which time we merged with The National Bank. As CEO of The National Bank in the early 1990s, a different challenge faced us. In effect I had been captain of a speedboat with the merchant bank, but was now a captain of an ocean liner in comparison – now managing a trading bank of 5000 people. The key was change. This change meant a new vision and purpose, including superior customer service, new technology, decentralised self-managed regions across New Zealand, competitive products and pricing. Most importantly, all bank staff were now on a remuneration system based on skills attained, and this was accompanied by digital learning modules that each staff member could use. The bank grew spectacularly through that decade, doubling its market share. One aspect that did surprise me was the enthusiasm by managers and staff to move from a “how” environment to a “what” environment. Or to put it differently, they were given greater responsibility and flexibility which they grasped willingly and with enthusiasm. So, in considering one’s dreams and aspirations where you have a self-belief and a sense of purpose and vision, it is also important to consider the people who will join you on the journey, listening to them and giving them the opportunity to succeed. The better the skills they attain, the better the organisation will become as everyone contributes to “make it happen”.
finding a passion and a purpose elana hawke Socio-environmental scientist & Sir Peter Blake Trust Antarctic Youth Ambassador 2013-2014 In my last year of high school, I had the overwhelming urge to see the world. There was a yearning inside of me to pack up my life into a bag and just take off. So in Year 13, I worked exceptionally hard to complete my studies and hold down a part-time job to save money for the trip. At the end of that year, I bought an open ticket, flew across the world and ended up in Europe. I had few plans for the year ahead, nor destinations in mind, but somehow I knew that I had the courage and strength within me to travel by myself, and faith that if I just took the first step, then the path would be there in front of me. This journey led me to cheering on Team New Zealand in Spain, volunteering at the Rowing World Cup regatta in Switzerland, working on a sailboat along the coast of Turkey, wandering the ancient streets of Jerusalem, and watching the sunrise atop Mount Sinai in Egypt. Yes, it might sound like my gap year was all roses and sunshine, but to be honest, the year wasn’t easy. I had many ups and downs. I often felt lost, homesick and lonely on this journey. I had hostel rooms broken into and items stolen in several countries, saw extreme violence in Syria, spent time with refugees in Palestine, saw abject poverty in Morocco, and experienced severe environmental degradation in China. Yep, a lot to absorb as a young and naïve 18 year old! However, it was truly the most incredible year of my life. I learned so much about myself, and the experiences I had have set into motion the attitude that I now live my life by. The ‘real world’ is by far the best learning classroom that you can have. It made me connect with how profoundly grateful I am for all that I have in my life and how fortunate I am to be a New Zealander.
on our differences, there is actually more that ties us together with our similarities. Getting to step foot on Antarctica earlier this year as the Sir Peter Blake Ambassador was also a realisation of a dream for me. I applied for this role several years ago and missed out. Striving for your dreams is not always easy - you will face bumps in the road and setbacks, but when you do achieve your dreams the feeling is indescribable. The advice that I would give young New Zealanders today about living their dreams is this: first find your passion, as when you find it, you will also find your purpose. When you are passionate about something, then you will put your heart and soul into whatever it is. I believe that a society filled with people living their passion is a more active, engaged, and empathetic society - something our nation can always benefit from. The Antarctic Youth Ambassador programme is run in association with Antarctica New Zealand
It made me realise that if you manifest your dreams and work hard “Twenty years from now you will be more towards them, they can be achieved. I also learned how disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than precious and incredible this life is, how vital a clean and healthy environment is, and how even by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. though we spend so much time placing Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade people into boxes and focusing
winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
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laying the foundations for change
New Zealand Sea Lion
Southern Royal Albatross
Young Blake Sub-Antarctic Voyagers on the lookout for wildlife 10 | LEADERSHIP Celebrating great New Zealanders
A new research station in the remote Auckland Islands could make a world of difference for the planet’s future, writes SUZANNE McFADDEN.
He may never have set foot on the Auckland Islands, but the Southern Ocean that swirls around them was like a second home to Sir Peter Blake. There is no doubt in the mind of his old crewmate and colleague Dr Mark Orams, that the great adventurer would have been “humbled and chuffed” to have a new scientific research station in the SubAntarctic named in his honour. The wheels are now in motion to build Blake Station on the east coast of Auckland Island - the largest island in the isolated archipelago 500km southeast of Bluff.
collected by the Blake Ambassadors will help to draw up the final plan of the station “with the most minimal impact and maximum utility”. So far, blueprints for Blake Station – which will cost between $2-3 million - include three accommodation blocks, two wet labs, a boat shed and a floating jetty at the head of Smith Harbour. A boat will allow researchers to study plankton, water temperature and ocean chemistry. But the young leaders have another critical, and on-going, responsibility, Wilson explains.
“One of the important aspects of Blake Station is to provide a human On this rugged landmass, where the only permanent residents are of link to a part of the world often forgotten because we have no people the feathered and furry variety, the station will be a base for humans there. Working in this difficult-to-access part of the to monitor changes in the ocean and atmosphere; world is something that appeals to Kiwis,” he says. changes that scientists and environmentalists hope will answer questions on how the Sub-Antarctic, New "One of the “Having the Blake Ambassadors telling the stories Zealand – and the rest of the world - will cope with and sharing their images and findings will help important aspects of climate change. It could become one of the most engage folks in why this part of the world is Blake Station is to important research bases on the planet. important, and what it’s telling us about ocean provide a human link and climate health - much as Peter Blake already “The Auckland Islands are somewhere that Peter and Blakexpeditions would certainly have wanted to go to a part of the world alluded to from his own trips into the Southern Ocean and Sub-Antarctic.” to; it’s a part of the world that he strongly identified often forgotten" with,” says Orams, who circumnavigated the globe One of those young leaders, Sedef Duder-Ozyurt with Sir Peter and was later his scientific advisor. – Gary Wilson - head girl at Auckland Girls’ Grammar School – sees it as her responsibility to pass the message on “Although he wasn’t a scientist, Blakey had a huge to her generation. The 17-year-old says the experience changed her respect for science. He would have been really keen to have Blake view of the environment, which she now sees in a “much more caring Station used to broaden people’s understanding, awareness, passion manner”. and care for the planet, and to be that catalyst for positive change.” Work on sending out a message for change has already begun in earnest, well before the foundation stones are laid at Blake Station. In February, an expedition of scientists, researchers and 12 Blake Ambassadors – secondary school students from throughout New Zealand – sailed to Auckland Island. A key task of the Young Blake Expedition, a programme run by the Sir Peter Blake Trust, was to carry out a survey on the island and its inlets to ensure a scientific station would have little impact on the environment. Leading the survey was Blake Leader Professor Gary Wilson, director of the New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute. Wilson says data
“I’m now taking time to consider how my actions affect the wider world around me,” she says. “I also view climate change as a much greater threat, as I had the opportunity to see first-hand how vulnerable the Sub-Antarctic is to such changes. “I think it’s imperative that young leaders visit the Auckland Islands for the simple reason that it fosters a huge love and respect for nature by showcasing its power.” Duder-Ozyurt found the expedition hugely rewarding on a personal level; as well as learning how to take sediment cores, water samples and topographic surveys, she learnt about “the bounty of nature.” LEADERSHIP Celebrating great New Zealanders | 11
On the deck of HMNZS Wellington in the Auckland Islands: student voyagers (from left) Mitchel Chandler, Elizabeth Huang, Sedef Duder-Ozyurt, Katrina Jensen, Isabella Brown, Jed Long, Hamish Lilley, Mania Oxenham, Tremayne Reid, Jessica Jenkins, Ben Richards and Samantha Kingsbury.
“What struck me the most in the Auckland Islands was how abundant and flourishing the eco-system is, which served as a huge inspiration for me. It exemplified the utter beauty of nature and the extent to which it can excel if treated properly.” A World Heritage Area, the Sub-Antarctic is a hotspot of biodiversity. The Auckland Islands are a haven for some of the most abundant and unique wildlife on the planet – penguins, albatross, fur seals, sea lions and southern right whales. It’s also regarded as the best area for studying deep sea currents in the Southern Ocean. All of which make it a hugely important location for understanding changing ocean and climate conditions as the earth warms, and how those might changes will have implications, not just for New Zealand’s environment, biodiversity and economy, but the rest of the globe. Although it’s wildly popular with birds and sea-life, and a nascent tourist spot for super-yachts and cruise ships, it’s a part of the world rarely visited by scientists. “It’s difficult and expensive to access, so we haven't done a lot of work there,” says Wilson, also a Professor of Marine Science at the University of Otago. “In fact we often refer back to work done during the Second World War. “I think a really important goal will be to set up a long-term 12 | LEADERSHIP Celebrating great New Zealanders
monitoring effort that can decipher short-term variability from longterm changes in the ocean and atmosphere, and relate them to changing biology and ecosystems.” Collecting the data is the straightforward part. The weather station now installed on the station site is already sending observations back to mainland New Zealand. Taking the findings and turning them into a message for change to broadcast to the world is where the real challenge lies. “We've got a lot of research to do yet before we can tell what is changing and by how much. But connecting folks with Blake Station will be a good start,” Wilson says. “Scott Base provides a similar hub and entry point for a range of people to engage in Antarctic research.” Mark Orams, who also made the voyage south with the Young Blake Expedition, agrees that Blake Station can be used as a catalyst for something much larger. “This is the most significant global change to happen in human history and we’re right in the middle of it. So we need to be taking action; to grasp how to deal with these changes in the next 50 to 100 years. We need more work on the solution or the adaptation communities are going to need to make.”
Orams, the first chief executive of the Sir Peter Blake Trust, would like to see marketing and advertising professionals taken to the Auckland Islands so their expertise can be used to convey the message. “We need people with those skills to develop a strategy for the results of the science; to engage a wider public. You can use social media, viral marketing campaigns and ambassadors. The communication is as important as the science.” Blake Station fits within the Government’s Deep South Science Challenge, introduced last year to increase the understanding of the role Antarctica and the Southern Ocean play in determining our climate and future environment. The Deeps South project is led by NIWA with the Blake Station build being driven by Professor Wilson and business leader Chris Mace. Supporting partners include the Department of Conservation, New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute, the University of Otago, the Royal NZ Navy and the Sir Peter Blake Trust.
studying biodiversity, a teacher could choose material from work done at Blake Station,” he says. Helping the next generation to understand how to care for the planet and their future is a philosophy Sir Peter shared. In his final log on board Seamaster, he wrote: “The top of the environmental awareness mountain that we are endeavouring to climb may be out of sight through the clouds right now. But to win, you first have to believe you can do it. You have to be passionate about it. You really have to ‘want’ the result – even if this means years of work. The hardest part of any big project is to begin.” Blake Station is a stride up that mountain.
Orams would like to see more government departments embracing the new base. “One of the real keys to developing the Blake Station opportunity is to embed it within the national curriculum. When students are
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sailor of the year Louisa Thyne has lost bucket-loads of sweat as a physical training instructor on board the frigate HMNZS TE MANA. Yet she reckons she’s never perspired so much as when she named the Royal New Zealand Navy’s Sailor of the Year. With obvious limitations at sea, LPTI Thyne had to be creative. Volleyballs were attached to string so they wouldn’t be lost overboard; touch rugby balls were made of old rags wrapped in masking tape. But her work on the ship extended beyond physical training – she could also be found dangling from a helicopter in winching operations. Thyne never found it a problem to push the mainly male crew out of their comfort zone. “You earn respect through your work effort and how you relate to others. Being a female just means I set the bar for the guys to beat,” she says. After growing up in Christchurch, Thyne trained as a Navy chef. But after her first gym session in basic training, she knew she wanted to pursue a career in physical training. “I guess I’ve always had a passion for fitness and sport, and now I’m living my dream,” she says. Leading Physical Training Instructor (LPTI) Thyne had never been so nervous, or so proud since joining the Navy in 2008. “There are over 1000 sailors in our Navy, and here I am out in the ocean, and my job was still recognised.” In a special ceremony on board TE MANA, when the ship was docked in Mumbai, 25-year-old Thyne fought back tears of pride as she received the award from Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral Jack Steer. She was acknowledged for her “outstanding professionalism” on TE MANA during 2013, when the ship was deployed in Asia, and then the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, to conduct anti-piracy patrols. Her role on board was to maintain the fitness of the 182 officers and crew, and keep up the company’s morale for seven months. She ran intensive fitness programmes and PT circuits three times a day, but also organised on-board activities, like tug of war, the traditional Navy game bucketball, and the production of a Christmas video for family and friends back home. “Your skills have to be pretty broad and diverse to meet the challenges of a maritime environment,” she says. “When you spend up to 24 days at sea, where all you see is ocean, it’s important to have something to work towards. And PT gets the endorphins going and keeps everyone happy.”
And she’s seeing the world at the same time. “In 2013 alone we sailed 52,591 nautical miles - that’s 2.4 times around the world. I missed my family and friends a lot. But I never thought I’d see Mumbai, the Seychelles and Vietnam.” Now her feet are firmly on the ground, as she begins a new role with the Navy’s Leadership Development Group at Devonport, as a PTI for new recruits. “Only six years ago that was me walking through the same gate. Sharing knowledge is important,” she says. “Finding something you’re passionate about and being willing to learn from mistakes, and never giving up, is the key to success.” She also plans to study a diploma of business studies part-time through Massey University, in her quest to always learn something new.
The Sir Peter Blake Trust and the Royal New Zealand Navy have bolstered their relationship by signing a Memorandum of Understanding to continue to collaborate on joint projects. The Trust and the Navy share many principles and missions in common – including a belief in team work and great leadership, a commitment to developing youth potential and a shared respect and love for the ocean. LEADERSHIP Celebrating great New Zealanders | 15
Blake Leader Andrew Hamilton – CEO of The Icehouse
WHO WANTS TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR? How do we encourage a new generation of free thinkers to consider entrepreneurship as a career? CARROLL DU CHATEAU asks those who’ve been down the road less travelled, and two young guns on their way. You might picture an entrepreneur hunched over a computer, nutting out new ideas and new ways of making money. Most of the time, it seems, they start on their own. And it can be a lonely, sometimes frightening experience.
Hamilton, CEO of The Icehouse supporting local entrepreneurs and start-ups, believes future business creators are best led by example “by exposing them to other leading entrepreneurs who they see as reachable when they’re still at school.”
But start-up supporters and Blake Leaders Andrew Hamilton and Mark Weldon don’t want to scare off young entrepreneurs. They want to see more young people encouraged to take a risk, to take the advice and mentorship of our own successful entrepreneurs, and then stay in New Zealand to take on the world.
He’s not talking about the country’s most well-established entrepreneurs, but the younger ones. People like Blake Leader Derek Handley, founder of global mobile agency The Hyperfactory, who can give students a blow-by-blow dose of what’s possible in the world of start-ups, with an example of a product they can relate to.
Weldon sees risk-takers and entrepreneurs as the key to a truly vibrant New Zealand economy. And Hamilton believes we need to let our kids know that “entrepreneur” is a genuine career option.
“It makes kids think, ‘Hey, I want to be like that some day!’ I love seeing these entrepreneurs coming into schools and exposing kids to what’s ahead – and their options,” Hamilton says.
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It’s important to encourage youngsters to make their own money. “They get a job or set up a garage sale - whatever it takes to learn the value of a dollar,” says Hamilton. “A lot of kids who are entrepreneurs know how it works or see it inherently and just reach out [for the experience they need]. Then they start picking ideas up through their lives and putting them together like a jigsaw puzzle.” Formal qualifications have their place too. An MBA is useful if you’re an entrepreneur interested in working in large companies, especially if you want to lead, “because it teaches you structure,” he says.
“Once you can make things you can always make money,” says Hamilton. “What’s important is picking up skills and experience: a couple of years here, a couple of years there. You do that in your teens and 20s, then in your 30s and 40s you start to leverage that experience while it counts.”
“As parents we have a role in shaping our children’s perspective, but at some point the day comes when they make all the decisions.”
Even more critical, he says, are skills that give you the knowledge necessary to make and create things - science, technology, engineering, and medical degrees, plus the creative skills like writing, reading and digital.
But what about parents who worry about kids who don’t have a “proper qualification”, such as law? “Who am I to tell other parents what to do?” says the father of two girls, aged seven and nine. “As parents we have a role in shaping our children’s perspective, but at some point the day comes when they make all the decisions.”
Hamilton points out that although entrepreneurship is, by its very nature, single-minded, the best entrepreneurs ultimately become leaders. “You’re heading towards a direction, leading the charge and dragging the team with you,” he says.
wared seger, 25, ceo of parrot analytics Young Auckland entrepreneur Wared Seger founded Parrot Analytics two years ago. The software company uses pioneering technology to help companies pinpoint exactly where and when their content - including films, music and games - is being downloaded. As CEO, Seger now works with eight other full-timers, plus a 30-strong wider team of advisors and investors. It’s not just about making people pay for every film, song and game they download, Seger says. “The main purpose of Parrot Analytics is to connect creatives with consumers, their fans.” Musicians can find out where their fans are, and direct tours there. “We’re the first to develop this technology and apply it the way we’re applying it. We’re ahead of the curve.” He sees the single most important trait of an entrepreneur is actually doing it, and being an entrepreneur in every aspect of your life. “A leader’s primary job is to empower people to have an impact on the world.” Seger has a Master of Bioscience Enterprise, from the University of Auckland, which armed him with business acumen and a foundation in science commercialisation, after completing his science degree. He took full advantage of the university’s entrepreneur ecosystem drawing on organisations Spark, Chiasma, The Icehouse and Ice Angels to help launch Parrot Analytics. His personal inspiration came from Steve Jobs, and Elon Musk of PayPal. “Elon decided on the four main areas that would help change the world and have the biggest impact humanity’s survival.” From that was born Musk’s electric car company, Tesla Motors, SpaceX rockets, solar panel maker SolarCity and his high speed travel idea Hyperloop. “Leadership is building your own roads towards your own vision and inspiring others around you to set up their own roads,” Seger says. “To make it work you need a shared vision, shared values. Almost a blind trust between the people you’re working with. And the impact of your ideas on the world is exponentially larger.”
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“What I see entrepreneurs developing over time is empathy and perspective. They have to learn that not everything’s about them, so they’re helping others to be out the front. They also probably lead best by example.” But the way entrepreneurs get the skills to grow and adapt as their organization changes is often different from your usual business course. “It might be a coach, or an advisor. The thing is, it’s really important to have wisdom around you so you can make decisions and become a really great entrepreneur.” He quotes Rod Drury of Xero, who’s “always learning how to be better, how to improve.” Two years ago, Mark Weldon, the former CEO of the New Zealand Stock Exchange, became something of an entrepreneur. After a decade at NZX, he and his wife, Sarah Eliott, bought three vineyards in Bannockburn, Central Otago, and founded the Terra Sancta winery. From his vineyard haven, Weldon is also trying to boost up fledgling entrepreneurs. He’s an investor and chairman of GeoOp, a hi-tech start-up which allows small businesses to manage their workforce from a phone app. Four months after listing, GeoOp is already making gains on the stock market.
“It makes kids think, ‘Hey, I want to be like that some day!’ I love seeing these entrepreneurs coming into schools and exposing kids to what’s ahead and their options,” – Andrew Hamilton
ryan everton, 22, ceo of valueroad Today’s young entrepreneurs don’t simply want to make money; they want to make the world a better place at the same time, says law graduate Ryan Everton. His award-winning reusable, recyclable polypropylene cup Globelet can be washed in a commercial dishwasher 1000 times, so cutting waste after rugby matches and other big events. Everton, who studied at Otago University, has quite a unique take on leadership. “Everyone’s become reliant on people to lead them,” he says. “Our parents tell us what to do, then it’s our teachers, our professors and by the time we’re 20 and about to graduate, it’s scary. No one’s there to lead us. No one is there to tell us what to do.” It’s vital to decide for yourself how to spend your time every day, he says. “I’m choosing my own journey and doing stuff I like to do.” His company, Valueroad, has one mission: to reduce New Zealand’s waste, and then the rest of the globe, by creating products of value that promote sustainability in a positive and exciting way. When working with new people, “I tell them to design whatever they want to. Of course there’s a direction in it. Keep finding stuff that drives you. Most people want to be free, love to be free! I’m trying to lead and inspire people through my blog: to get them to choose themselves.” True. An hour later, he posts his latest Valueroad blog: “I had a phone call. They wanted to know my thoughts on leadership. It was not what they were expecting to hear. “There is practical everyday management. I’m not interested in that. We have confused real leadership with management. Leadership is not practical and it’s not every day. If you think you’re being a leader, then you’re probably being a manager. Managers figure out what they want done and get other people to do it.” According to Everton, real leadership is standing up. “Choosing yourself. Being yourself. Facing fear. Believing in your morals. And changing whatever gets in your way. Leadership is finding the other people who care for the same cause and together you change it.”
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Blake Leader Mark Weldon at Terra Sancta
Weldon is also involved with e-commerce start-up BuddyBid, noise cancellation company Soundchip and Hawkes Bay olive oil producer, The Village Press. He believes entrepreneurs are leaders by nature; not necessarily leaders of people, but of ideas and start-ups. Now they need to step up and become leaders of big international companies. “The New Zealand economy is based on slow-growing agriculturebased companies - milk, meat, wool, wood - meaning growth is a real problem in this country,” Weldon says. “Growth really has to come from small businesses getting big. And that growth needs intelligent risk-taking which is different from entrepreneurship -- and it needs capital behind it.” What’s happening is that too often, when New Zealand start-ups begin to take off globally, second-tier finance becomes a stumbling block, and our entrepreneurs sell to the highest off-shore bidder, who then makes the real money. What’s needed is leadership focus and financial support from mature local corporates who can get behind young entrepreneurs and their fledgling companies with money and leadership. That way, the best of New Zealand’s record number of start-ups will mature into a decent slab of companies that will start making real money, consolidate the success of the New Zealand economy and take on the world. Unfortunately it isn’t happening yet. “New Zealand corporates want to find yield rather than growth,” says Weldon. “In general they’re clamouring for a dividend. It should be more about growth in the sector. In New Zealand risk carries a bad connotation: it’s to be avoided. But risk is simply mathematics: Higher risk equals higher return.” Weldon believes we should take a lead from American business. “In the United States risk-taking is like apple pie; New Zealanders are much more conservative,” he says. “It’s a different psyche.”
“Peter Blake was a great leader of people and teams, who took on significant risks and took on the world. But in the business sector that level of inspiration is rare…” – Mark Weldon. To develop that psyche we need more leaders like Sir Stephen Tindall, Weldon believes. “He’s made substantial money and been a huge supporter of start-ups, not just from a monetary point-of-view but by providing contacts globally.” As Weldon says: “Success means getting big and strong locally, rather than selling to overseas companies for a few dollars. We need companies like Xero to stay in New Zealand.” And he’s determined to show how it can be done. He’s working with GeoOp’s management team to help it take the next big step. As he explains, the GeoOp app, which services mobile workforces, has huge potential. Its customers could include 20-25 percent of workers in the entire OECD. “Most customers are not in New Zealand. It’s very high risk. But if it works it’ll be very big. We’ve put the team together, we’ve got the right management, a cool CEO in Leanne Graham. We’re going to give it a very good shot and finish it!” he says. “Peter Blake was a great leader of people and teams, who took on significant risks and took on the world. But in the business sector that level of inspiration is rare. Leadership doesn’t just mean starting something. It’s that finishing capability we’re lacking. The focus on leadership should be around finishing.” LEADERSHIP Celebrating great New Zealanders | 19
a list for life Phil Keoghan Emmy Award-winning adventure television host and producer, motivator and Blake Leader 2012
My philosophy, “No Opportunity Wasted”, is about learning to live while you still have the chance; about letting go of the handrails. Taking off your tie, and swerving off that predictable road you have been following for years – onto a strange and bumpy path that just might, with a bit of luck, get you lost. It is about sharing experiences with other people you know. And connecting with people you don’t know…beginning with yourself. No Opportunity Wasted, or NOW for short, is about living the best life I can while I can. It’s a philosophy rooted in the notion that each of us must follow our many and varied dreams in order to lead a fuller, richer life. But first we must figure out what those dreams are – and write them down on a list. At the ripe of age of 19, I thought I was going to die while diving in a shipwreck. Lost and disoriented in a large upturned ship, I started to panic. Thankfully I was pulled to safety, but it made me rethink the way I wanted to live my life. I realised I could have died when I had barely started to live my life! I quickly started writing a list of the things I wanted to achieve, and that list eventually turned in to my career as a storyteller traveling all over the world trying new things. I hold firmly to the idea that my NOW List for Life, which is constantly changing, is just for me, and your list – which perhaps you haven’t written down yet but which exists nonetheless, etched in your soul – is entirely different from mine. As it should be. While one person might dream of scaling Mount Everest, your quest may be to complete in Round the Bays in Auckland or just run around your local field.
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You don’t have to go halfway around the world to follow your dreams. Opportunities for unforgettable experiences are all around you everyday, you just have to know how to seize them. You can live a NOW life and fulfill your dreams without spending a lot of money too. Imagination is your currency when it comes to acquiring great experiences; as Sir Ernest Rutherford said, “… we didn’t have money so we had to think”. As New Zealanders we know what it means to fix anything with a piece of number 8 wire. You don’t have to risk you life either. People often assume that “adventure” is synonymous with extreme risk-taking. But my personal belief, is that being adventurous is really about taking mental leaps. It’s about being willing to move beyond your comfort zone and try something new everyday. So write your list, your life contract and dare to dream. Think No Opportunity Wasted … NOW!
definition of a leader Dame Alison Paterson
Professional director, Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, and Sir Peter Blake Trust Leadership Awards selection panel member.
The Oxford English Dictionary is not helpful with its definition of leadership: being a leader; ability to be a leader; the leader of a group. I was more interested in the definition of “to lead”, which included “to go with oneself”.
success including successfully rearing a family who will contribute in generations to come. I do not have children.
This more clearly aligns with my view that true leaders pursue a vision so fundamental to their being, and so inspiring to others, that they are caught up in the vortex, believe in them and follow their example.
Sir Peter Blake medallist Sir Ray Avery has produced “The Power of Us”, a book profiling 53 New Zealanders who dare to dream.
This is a superficial list, but think Gandhi, Nehru, Mandela, Churchill and of course, in New Zealand, Kate Sheppard, Sir Edmund Hillary and Sir Peter Blake. Every year, there are many leadership award functions in New Zealand. Apart from the Sir Peter Blake Awards, another truly exceptional evening is the New Zealander of the Year Awards, which this year recognised Dr Lance O’Sullivan for the supreme award. It was a popular choice.
I have Sir Ray’s permission to quote some of those. Bill Manhire (Poet/writer/academic): ‘In some ways, it’s just enough to have lived, isn’t it? That will do.’ Oscar Kightley (actor/writer): ‘I would say to anyone, do everything, and the stuff you enjoy the most is the stuff that will stick around.’ Sam Johnson (Student Volunteer Army): ‘When you love something, it just drives you and gives you incredible energy for what you are doing.’
I doubt Dr O’Sullivan set out with the ambition to be a leader. He simply sees a pressing need for access to adequate health services for a significant number of his community. He has the qualifications and the skills, and he has made it a priority to address that need. I am sure that he is not motivated by financial reward. It seems that ability to pay is not a pre-requisite to access his services.
Dr Sean Simpson (scientist/entrepreneur): ‘My best advice to anyone is to seize the opportunities that are in front of you. Seize change as being a good thing because only good things come from change.’
At all levels of society there are “giants on whose shoulders we stand”. Which brings me to the point: narrow definitions of leadership and success can lead people astray, as they seek to fulfil the ambitions of others for them. Surely the trick with our young people and young adults is to encourage them to know themselves well so that they make life choices that are right for them.
Barbara Kendall (Olympic gold medallist): ‘Daring to dream and following the pattern of whatever you have is a gift’.
I was created a Dame in the New Year Honours list. The recognition was important to me as evidence that I have something to show for my life. I am fully aware though that there are many measures of
Peter Beck [rocket engineer]: ‘I would hate to spend my time on this planet and not have achieved something great – I think it would be a waste of a life.’
This is an enormous range of ambitions from a group of nationally recognised and treasured people, which adds colour to the quote of Derek Handley (entrepreneur/futurist): ‘I believe New Zealand should be an inspiration to the rest of the world about how the rest of the world can live’. As readers of this piece, where do you aspire to be in that spectrum? LEADERSHIP Celebrating great New Zealanders | 21
a round of nine with lydia ko It’s been a mighty big year for Lydia Ko. At 16, she became the youngest Kiwi to win the Halberg Supreme Award, quickly became world No. 3 in her first season on the women’s professional golf tour, all while trying to fit in Year 13 studies at Auckland’s Pinehurst School. Leadership caught up with Lydia on a rare visit home. Was there one defining moment when you decided this is what you really wanted to do?
I complain – about all the things we don’t have. But imagine what his life is like. He goes out there actually trying to inspire people.
No, I just kept playing golf, and when I wasn’t playing golf it felt really boring, so I knew it was what I wanted to do. I discussed turning professional with my mum and dad, and we reviewed the year and came up with the plan. It wasn’t a hard decision – we just felt this would be a good time to do it.
Golf-wise, it would be Phil Mickelson; he’s just a great talent, a great athlete. And my mum and dad have given me so much support to help me through this time becoming a professional.
Do you ever see yourself as a young leader? Not really. I’m just doing what I love to do and enjoying playing golf. If I get to inspire other people while I’m doing it, then that’s great. But I don’t know what I’ve done to inspire them, though. What is the single-most important thing you have to do to succeed as a professional? You just have to be confident in yourself, whether it’s a good day or a bad day. Just believing in yourself is probably the biggest thing. I’ve had to learn to do that over time. The better I play, and the more tournaments I show good results in, that’s where my confidence builds. How have you got this far?
Is life more challenging on the pro tour? There are the goods and the bads. You do a lot of travelling, play a lot of golf in a year, and you are mentally burned out at the end of the year. That’s why the off-season is really important - you can have a couple of weeks off, and then get back into it again. I haven’t had that off-season yet, but I’ll make sure I do other things outside of golf. I really enjoy photography. What do you miss most about New Zealand when you’re playing overseas? The feeling of being home. New Zealand isn’t crowded, especially on the North Shore; it’s really relaxed and I love that. And I miss my friends. Sometimes I feel like I’m missing out on time with my mates. But those are the sacrifices you have to make.
I guess practice over a long period of time, and just enjoying myself at the same time. When I’m not going to school, I practise 40 to 50 hours a week. I have one more year of school this year [Year 13]. I like it that it’s the same at school as before I turned pro; no one treats me differently.
What are your dreams and goals now?
Who is your hero?
You have to really enjoy what you do – nothing can be done by force. If you don’t like what you’re doing, you’ll never succeed.
In everyday life, it would be Nick Vujicic, who was born without arms or legs. He’s just so inspiring. So many people complain – and 22 | LEADERSHIP Celebrating great New Zealanders
I think just to be really healthy and injury-free, and hopefully become a successful golfer. What message would you want to send to young people with dreams and aspirations on how to make them happen?
Lydia Ko dons red socks with Sir Peter Blake Trust programme director Hannah Prior, and Westpac’s Nigel Perkins (far right) and friends Tim Power and Kevin Leith, who won a round of golf with the teenage sensation.
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ON THE CREST OF A NEW WAVE Meet the new generation of New Zealand yachting royalty – with enough precious metal to sink a sailboat. Peter Burling and Blair Tuke tell SUZANNE McFADDEN their next bold plans.
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Photos: Georgia Schofield /Yachting New Zealand.
They were the kind of kids who could jump into any old boat and make it sail fast. Two kids who virtually taught themselves to be world champions. Now Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, still in their early 20s, are the new wave of international elite yachtsmen. All grown up, they’re still able to leap into any shape or size of sailboat and be the best in the world. Olympic silver medallists, world 49er skiff champions and now the future faces of Team New Zealand, their careers have essentially only just begun. The reigning New Zealand Sailors of the Year, Burling and Tuke can proudly say they did it their way. Well away from Auckland’s elite sailing scene, they grew up tacking and gybing with their mates to become the finest in their fleets.
with. We all learned together, and we wanted to outwit each other.” The silver medallists in the 49er at the 2012 London Olympics realise they are role models for a new generation of youngsters – whether they are aspiring yachties or not - and take that responsibility seriously. They encourage kids to live by the motto: “If you enjoy it, give it your best shot.” Tuke, now 24, grew up in Kerikeri, where his parents bought their three sons a “real crappy, old P-Class that my mates and I used to hoon around in,” he says.
The reigning New Zealand Sailors of the Year, Burling and Tuke can proudly say they did it their way.
“Kids get a lot of coaching these days,” says Tuke. “But really, there’s no point in getting coached every day. You never get the opportunity to go out and learn things for yourself.
“We had coaches every now and then, but it was more about striving towards our own goals, and learning off the guys we were sailing
It wasn’t until he went to Kerikeri High School - with its strong yachting pedigree - that Tuke began to sail competitively. At 14, he was thrown into a Splash – a 3.5m dinghy that wasn’t the typical way for Kiwi kids to get into sailing, but was big in Northland. That same year he was representing New Zealand at an international regatta; three years later he was the world Splash champion. “We didn’t have many people to coach us in the Splash; we just figured it out ourselves,” he says.
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Meanwhile, in Tauranga, Peter Burling was sailing down a more traditional path. Summers were spent in the family fizz boat, on the Rotorua lakes, or at his grandparents’ home, unknowingly straight across the Kerikeri inlet from Tuke. “Dad bought my older brother an Optimist and I got dragged along,” Burling recalls. “I always ended up sailing in a class earlier than kids usually would, because I would just jump into whatever boat my brother was sailing.” He won his first Optimist nationals when he was 12, outgunning his 15-year-old rivals. Two years later, he was top of the country’s Starling fleet. At 15, he was world champion in the 420 class, with crewmate Carl Evans. And at 17, he became the youngest sailor to ever represent New Zealand at an Olympics, sailing with Evans at the 2008 Beijing games. At 23, he’s had a string of America’s Cup teams chasing him to drive their boats in the next Cup regatta. The ability of both sailors to conquer a class of boat with little coaching behind them is still obvious today. Last year, they won the inaugural Youth America’s Cup in San Francisco in the tricky little AC45. In February this year, Tuke was second and Burling third in the world A-Class catamaran championships off Takapuna.
“We go out of our way to pop into schools, especially our old schools, to visit kids.” There’s no doubt that the success of Burling and Tuke – and 2012 Olympic gold medallists Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie – is influencing a new fleet of young sailors. “We have more kids attending training camps than we have ever had before,” says David Abercrombie, CEO of Yachting New Zealand. “Now that Peter and Blair are on a retainer with Team New Zealand, they’ve also highlighted to kids that there’s a future in yachting; that it can be a career. Through hard work and commitment, there’s a pathway for them.” The path to further success stretches on and on for Burling and Tuke. They’ve decided to stick together, to go one better than their Olympic silver. This year they will make a couple of visits to Rio de Janeiro, site of the 2016 games, and defend their world 49er title in Spain in September. That’s coupled with a totally new career turn as sailing crew with Team New Zealand. Burling, an accomplished helmsman, looks likely to be Dean Barker’s in-house competition – doing what he’s always done, driving his mates to produce the best.
Although they’ve taught themselves a great deal, Tuke acknowledges the place that mentors and role models have had in his career.
“It’s definitely different working in such a big group with so many aspects to it. But we’re all working with the same agenda – to bring the Cup back to New Zealand,” Burling says.
“They come in different forms - some motivate you from a distance, others are directly involved your life,” he says.
These young dogs are always happy to learn new tricks, especially if it helps in their own campaign for Olympic gold.
As a kid, it was from afar - Sir Peter Blake and his America’s Cup leadership, and All Blacks Christian Cullen and Tana Umaga. Then Olympic boardsailing bronze medallist Bruce Kendall became a mentor, teaching Tuke about life balance when they sailed together on a Tornado catamaran. But Burling has a different take on it. He can’t recall having idols as a kid. “For me, it was more about having my own goals and ambitions. I’m quite competitive and I really enjoyed taking it out on the water, racing against my mates, striving to be better than them. We were pushing each other, and getting stronger and stronger as a group,” he says. “I was inspired by the people I saw competing for New Zealand, and wanting to be one of them.” Now, the Olympians and new recruits in Team New Zealand’s America’s Cup crew are trying to emulate that same motivation for the next generation. “If kids look up to us now, we understand that. We want that,” says Tuke. “We know we’re becoming more and more public. So if we continue to strive towards our goals, and leave a bit of a legacy, I think we will have done our job. 26 | LEADERSHIP Celebrating great New Zealanders
SPECIAL SALUTE TO BLAKEY
On the first weekend of December for the past 12 years, the waters off Auckland’s Torbay have been all aflutter with hundreds of dinghies, skiffs and boards paying tribute to a sailing legend. For two days, over 400 sailors – mostly young and some not-so young – line up to sail in the Sir Peter Blake Torbay Regatta. Since 2002, it’s bloomed into the largest small-boat regatta in New Zealand – and now the Southern Hemisphere. It’s the only yachting event that carries Sir Peter’s name (given approval to do so by the Sir Peter Blake Trust) and is famous for embracing his values – in sailing, the environment, leadership and fair play. Mark Orams, round-the-world sailor and vice patron of the Torbay Yacht Club that puts on the event, says the regatta’s popularity has grown because of its “real purpose”. “People in the small boat community know it’s a must-do regatta on the year’s sailing calendar,” Orams says. “It’s somewhere where kids can learn, enjoy and be part of an occasion; where they can rub shoulders with famous sailors. When you’re nine, and you’ve fallen in love with sailing, you can get your centreboard signed by Peter Burling or meet Jo Aleh.” It’s a breeding ground for champions too. Olympic medallists Burling and Aleh are past winners of the Sir Peter Blake Memorial Trophy, presented by the Sir Peter Blake Trust and awarded to the most outstanding youth sailor at the regatta. And they turn up most years to meet and inspire sailing’s next generation.
“It’s always been a really fun regatta,” says Olympic silver medallist Blair Tuke. “It isn’t just about sailing; you learn about looking after the sea and the environment, which are great skills to learn as a youngster.” And those early messages have made an impression - both Burling and Tuke are conscious of the health of the ocean while they’re sailing. “We’ve always made sure we bring our rubbish back and reuse our water bottles,” Burling says. “We’ve been to places like China and a few countries in Europe where sewerage outlets run into the sea where we are sailing. There are definitely places where you don’t want to get into the water. So we know how lucky we are.” Orams, an environmentalist and round-the-world sailor with Sir Peter, believes his old friend would have been proud to be the inspiration behind this renowned sailing event. “Peter loved kids, he loved kids having adventures, and learning and growing through competing,” Orams says. “I think Peter’s spirit is a big part of why families want to be involved. They want to pay tribute to him and this is a very practical way they can do it.” • This year’s Sir Peter Blake Torbay Regatta will be held December 7-8 with an environmental theme.
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NOT JUST STANDING ON A SOAP BOX… This time last year, Pippa, Lady Blake stood before a sea of nine and ten year olds at Viscount School in Mangere. One of the 300-strong Dream Team charged with inspiring youngsters around the country, Lady Pippa listened in awe as the pupils of the decile one Auckland school told her all they knew about her late husband, Peter, and his achievements and aspirations; and how their teachers had motivated them to follow their own dreams. The pieces of the puzzle had fallen into place. Artist Pippa, founding patron of the Sir Peter Blake Trust, could see just what the trust had come to stand for, and what direction it needed to continue in.
think any of us really knew what it was going to be about.” But with the guidance of the trust’s first executive director, marine professor and round-the-world sailor Mark Orams, the Trust took shape. Pippa was determined there would be environmental missions, especially involving the sea. For two years, the Trust sent young New Zealanders to a UN environmental programme, before the Blakes’ son James helped launch the Antarctic Youth Ambassadors initiative, which continues today.
Ten years earlier, it wasn’t so clear Pippa confesses - she couldn’t quite get the picture of the route the trust needed to take.
On a new tack, the Trust established the annual Leadership awards, which celebrate the 10th anniversary year. Pippa gives credit to former trustee Sir Ron Carter for initiating the hugely successful idea.
“When it was first set up, I was ‘moosh’. It was only two or three years after Peter had been killed, and I was still coming out of that awful time of losing your partner. I’d had so many requests for things to be done in Peter’s name,” she says.
“After the first two awards dinners I thought ‘This is really establishing something, quite a deep and rewarding thing’,” she says. “We have fantastic alumni – people selected from all fields of work and all areas of New Zealand, and they’re all outstanding in what they continue to do.”
“There were masses of discussions and meetings about setting up the trust, and it felt good. But I have to confess I couldn’t see what it was all about. I don’t
Pippa says the Trust has established a healthy balance between leadership and environmental issues, and she’s thrilled with what it’s achieved.
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“One million pieces of rubbish have been picked up off New Zealand beaches in Clean Up Our Coast; we have ambassadors to the Antarctic and with NIWA. And now we have Young Blake Expeditions which are really something special. They’re looking at significant global issues that affect us all,” she says. “For me, what’s really amazing about the trust is that it has gone beyond Peter. It’s still in his memory, but it’s reached into so many different parts of New Zealand society. The trust symbolises something far bigger than what Peter stood for, really.” As to the future? It’s Pippa’s personal wish the Sir Peter Blake Trust extends its reach beyond New Zealand’s borders. She’s excited to watch social media take the trust’s messages global. “We have an opportunity to make a difference, through the connections with all of our Blake Leaders, to make people more aware of sustainability in an environmental way, and of our responsibilities to each other,” she says. “Leadership doesn’t have to mean someone standing on a soap box telling everyone what to do. It’s very much about people getting out there and making a difference; inspiring others or simply helping someone across the road. The Trust tries to be a catalyst - not coming down heavy on people but trying to encourage others to take action.”
As a successful artist living in the UK, Pippa is grateful for the enduring work of the trust team on the other side of the world: “I’m so proud and quite knocked out - the team work their socks off over there.” This is an intense year for Pippa - exhibiting her work in Paris and Brighton, and through July and August, will be the artist-in-residence at the Chichester Festival Theatre (whose first artistic director was Sir Laurence Olivier). Daughter Sarah-Jane is playing an even more involved role in the Sir Peter Blake Trust now that she’s living in Auckland with her husband Alistair Moore, skipper of Sir Peter’s champion round-the-world yacht Steinlager II, recently restored for a youth leadership programme. Sarah-Jane sailed with the Young Blake Expedition from Auckland to Bluff in February, and often represents the Trust, sharing her father’s concern for the environment. She’s also working with her other passions – art and performance design. James is back in England, at the family home in Emsworth, continuing with his own environmental projects. He freelances for a natural history film company, following great white sharks off Mexico and dolphins in Western Australia, and is raising funds to build a live artificial reef off Borneo. Pippa could not be more proud of her children following their own dreams. And she’s certain their father would be too.
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Glen Sowry
Steve Carden
onwards and upwards On the 10th anniversary of the Sir Peter Blake Trust Leadership awards, we discover what 10 of our Blake Leaders are up to now. Glen Sowry (2005)
Steve Carden (2005)
Equally at home on sea or on land, Glen Sowry has moved smoothly from professional sailor to head of New Zealand’s biggest landlord.
After three years across the Tasman, Steve Carden has returned home to guide New Zealand’s largest farmer, Landcorp.
An accomplished round-the-world yachtsman who learned much from Sir Peter Blake, Sowry is now CEO at Housing New Zealand, where his goal is to make sure it becomes an “increasingly effective supplier of social housing for those New Zealanders that need it most”.
The Harvard MBA graduate foresees big opportunities, and equally big challenges, for our farming sector over the next decade.
A trustee of the Sir Peter Blake Trust since 2009, he sees the trust’s future being a strong combination of leadership and environmental issues. “Leadership is fundamental to achieving goals of whatever shape or form, and is the X factor that enables teams to achieve – and, in some cases, exceed - their full potential,” he says. “Peter Blake was passionate about the environment and the Trust is able to merge leadership and environmental issues to mobilise a new generation of New Zealanders to build awareness and make a positive difference to our environment.” One of the inaugural winners of the Emerging Leader awards, Sowry is a strong believer in the power of red socks – wearing them every race day through the last America’s Cup, and at significant Trust events (including, of course, Red Socks Day).
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“The opportunities revolve around the growing global hunger for protein, which is leading to expanding export opportunities and increasing levels of capital-seeking investment in New Zealand’s agriculture sector - including Maori capital,” he says. Capturing these opportunities, he acknowledges, won’t be easy. “We need to manage New Zealand’s growing costs of production, while transforming farming from a drain on the environment to a rejuvenator of it. The sector needs to invest heavily in attracting and retaining the country’s smartest young people. “This country’s biggest export industry needs to be the ‘go to’ place for this generation of school kids.” Steve remains a trustee of the First Foundation, the not-for-profit organisation he founded in 1988, helping talented underprivileged students through university. The best thing about being home, after working in Australia with PGG Wrightson, has been family friends and New Zealand’s famous food culture. “I travel around the country a lot, and in the remotest areas you can enjoy some of the best food, wine and coffee I’ve experienced anywhere in the world.”
Sarah Trotman
Emeline Afeaki-Mafile’o
Sarah Trotman (2006)
Emeline Afeaki-Mafile’o (2006)
Businesswoman, trustee, mentor and mother Sarah Trotman doesn’t mind it being known that she can get “very stroppy”.
Emeline Afeaki-Mafile’o received an “enormous surprise” last year when honoured with the first Women of Influence award for her huge contribution to the Pasifika community.
“I can be demanding, but at the same time, mobilising. I have an impatience around getting things done and I don’t apologise for that,” says Trotman, an advocate for the country’s business owners and a trustee of the Sir Peter Blake Trust. The Director of Business Relations at AUT Business School, she oversees the AUT Excellence in Business Support Awards, and student leadership initiatives. She established the Small Business Expo, mentors a number of business owners and individuals, and is a director on a number of not-for-profit boards. Balancing being a mum of two teenagers with demanding business roles is a constant juggling act. “I find it hard to say no to opportunities that bring a depth of wonderful life experience, either for myself or others. I’ve always involved my children in my business interests, so much so that a journalist once confused me as the wife, rather than host, of the Prime Minister!” Being in The Territorials revealed that her limits are well beyond what she thought: “There’s nothing like digging trenches in the freezing cold at 3am to toughen you up. Also, the skills one learns as a Reservist, whether leadership or otherwise, are transferrable to other areas of your life.”
Yet with her inspiring resume, it was no surprise to others. She’s still running Affirming Works, a non-profit organisation she set up at 25 to run leadership skills programmes in South Auckland schools. She also runs a social policy consultancy, a community café in Otahuhu, and with family owns a coffee factory in Tonga giving skills to locals. “The award was acknowledgement of my work as a practitioner, policy writer and business owner, which for many years I have blended as a social entrepreneur,” she says. She says the honour wasn’t hers alone, paying homage to her father Pat and late mother Edith Afeaki, who she had just lost to cancer; and recognising the support of husband, Alipate, family and friends, and her community. She sums up the highlight of the last 10 years as “relationships”. “I recall as a 25-year-old registering the company with such aspirations and thinking even if I could provide mentoring for this year… To still be here still mentoring in school 13 years later is just a dream come true.”
LEADERSHIP Celebrating great New Zealanders | 31
Steven Hall (2007)
Alfred Ngaro (2009)
Steven Hall’s career has travelled full circle – geographically, professionally and even spiritually – in the last two decades.
Respected community leader Alfred Ngaro says it’s been the “fulfilment of a dream” to become the first Cook Islander selected to New Zealand’s Parliament.
The former Wakatipu High School teacher went from School Director at the Outward Bound Trust of New Zealand, and a leader of the field training programme for Antarctica New Zealand, to CEO of the Halberg Trust. Now he’s back at Wakatipu High, but this time as principal. “What drew me back was the opportunity to return to education; working with the education and development of young people is my real passion. It was also the opportunity to make a contribution to an organisation that was important to me and the community, and that needed leadership,” he says. “As a bonus Queenstown is also very special for me and my wife as we love the mountains, rivers and lakes. Beneath the ‘adventure tourism capital’ is a wonderful small New Zealand town and community, which makes a great place to bring up our three boys.” With an obvious passion for the environment and youth, Hall hopes his sons engage in their special community and “appreciate and value the life that they have – in Queenstown, New Zealand and this Earth!”
Keriana Brooking (2008) Keriana Brooking continues to be committed to primary health care. The general manager at Midlands Health Network is fully behind the principle of “duty of care - the experience and support of the patient on their journey through the health system. “It is a patient receiving the right information, in the right place, at the right time, in a format they understand,” says Brooking, who was planning and funding manager at Tairawhiti District Health for a decade till 2011. “It relies on having solutions-focused staff who understand that when things go awry, patients and their families need answers and advice quickly. It’s staff who understand the health system can be complicated, scary and intimidating, and work to find ways to make it less so.” She’s recently been appointed Chief Advisor, Service Improvement and Change, with the Ministry of Health. A former deputy chair at Sport Gisborne, Brooking says she is “positively ageing”, walking the family’s Labrador most days. She encourages her son Te Aho, now 15, to participate in sport and be active. “I can’t stress enough how important it is for our tamariki to learn how to swim and be safe in the water. The concepts gained in sport through throwing, catching, jumping, climbing, running, teamwork, leadership, winning and losing are important life skills.” 32 | LEADERSHIP Celebrating great New Zealanders
“It has been a dream of our ancestors and families, who came to New Zealand for the dream of a better life,” the National list MP since 2011 says, “to progress and be successful as genuine Kiwi citizens, offering our contribution to the leadership of our country and communities.” “Everywhere I go, both in New Zealand and the Cook Islands, people are proud - as I am proud - of what we and I have achieved.” Ngaro was recognised as a Blake Leader in 2009 for his contribution to community leadership and development, especially with the Tamaki Transformation social renewal project. He strives to be a “space creator rather than a space invader”. “One of the greatest challenges in leadership is knowing when to maximise and minimise your role and responsibilities, so others grow competent and confident in their own character,” he says. “There are times when we need to invade the space of leadership with clear direction and guidance, especially in a crisis, conflict or chaos. And there are times where we need to diplomatically create space for others, where we pull back so others may shine.”
Catriona Williams (2010) Catriona Williams’ spinal cord injury trust CatWalk continues to grow in strength, while its founder continues to astound with her own achievements. It’s 12 years since the equestrian broke her neck in a fall, but Williams has completed the New York Marathon, cycled to Everest Base Camp, and plans to do a half Ironman in New Plymouth next summer. Reaching the base camp at Everest last year with two other Kiwi tetraplegics – a world first - was an “incredibly emotional” journey. “We struck luck with an amazing tour leader who never saw the chairs or hand-cycles as a nuisance - merely a challenge - and with support from her Nepalese guides, we achieved the impossible. This was a legal high that will be very hard to repeat,” she says. A finalist in the 2014 KiwiBank New Zealander of the Year, Williams says CatWalk continues to make positive gains in research into spinal cord injuries, and the next goal is to work alongside Australia in the research field. Another positive has been getting more people comfortable around wheelchairs. “A wheelie has to put so much more effort into putting someone at ease that an able-bodied. Get them to see the annoying blonde chatterbox, rather than the chick in the chair, and you have another follower.”
Alfred Ngaro
Keriana Brooking
Derek Handley
Chris Quin
Catriona Williams
Steven Hall
Chris Quin (2010)
Derek Handley (2011)
Chris Quin’s Twitter profile sums him up perfectly: Dad, husband, petrol head and aged racer, CEO of Telecom Retail and Chairman of The Icehouse.
Astronaut-in-waiting and entrepreneur Derek Handley has big audacious projects on the go all round the globe… and even above it.
In late 2012, he took on the mantle of CEO of Telecom Retail, a $1.6 billion organisation serving Kiwi consumers and small business customers. That followed on from transforming Telecom’s Gen-I into one of New Zealand’s leading ICT service providers – a “pretty special and very satisfying time”. As chairman of business incubator, The Icehouse, he’s a passionate believer in New Zealand’s future and creating a thriving business environment for young Kiwis to grow. “We need 3000 new businesses by 2020 to be in the top half of OECD countries for growth, and Icehouse is committed to growing 1000 business of international quality through education, networks and funding. I love seeing the success of start-ups and owner managers growing with Kiwi spirit.”
For the last two years, he helped Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson set up The B Team in New York - a leadership initiative finding better ways of doing business for the wellbeing of people and the planet. This year, he’s stepped aside from CEO to be The B Team’s “Entrepreneur in Residence”, designing a new business venture. He moves between New York and Auckland, where among a list of things, he’s an Adjunct Executive Professor for AUT University. He’s working on introducing the philosophy of the B Team to the university’s business school. “If they are taught that the purpose of business is people, planet and profit and not just short-term profit, then they will graduate believing that’s what business is there for. And this means they won’t join any company that doesn’t believe that,” he says.
Quin also maintains a passion for motorsport, and is a huge supporter of his teenage son Callum, a successful single-seater racing driver.
The co-founder of global mobile agency The Hyperfactory, Handley has signed up to fly in the first space-liner with Virgin Galactic. He’s “a little nervous, but incredibly excited.”
“It’s a sport and time together that we love with all the highs and lows of top level competition. Sport teaches a lot of life lessons to both dad and son!”
“Space exploration is viewed as an important step to expanding and preserving human life. So that’s what this is all about. It’s about being a part of the beginning of what’s next.” LEADERSHIP Celebrating great New Zealanders | 33
blake leaders We acknowledge our Blake Leader Alumni who to continue to step up and show leadership in their chosen fields 2013 Blake Leaders Blake Medallist: Judge Michael JA Brown, pioneering youth court jurist • Beatrice Faumuina, Pacific leadership champion • Dr Joe Harrop, Programme Director for Sistema Aotearoa • Dr Lance O’Sullivan, Northland GP and Kiwi Bank New Zealander of the Year • Louise Anaru, Principal Flaxmere College • Minnie Baragwanath, CEO and founder of the Be. Institute • Nicola Ngarewa, Principal of Tamatea High
2012 Blake Leaders Blake Medallist: Sir John Graham, leader in sports, education and governance • Kapu Waretini, Committee for Auckland • Phil Keoghan, host and producer of The Amazing Race • Rachel Taulelei, Founder and CEO of Yellow Brick Road Ltd • Roseanne Liang, Film Director • Qiujing Wong, founder of Borderless Productions • Richard McCaw, Captain of the All Blacks
2011 Blake Leaders Blake Medallist: Dame Margaret Bazley, Chair of Environment Canterbury • Derek Handley, Entrepreneur and philanthropist • Sam Johnson, leader of the Student Volunteer Army • Andrew Coy, CEO Magritek • Tawera Nikau, Managing Director Team One Corporate Development • Rebecca Elvin, PhD candidate Oxford University • Heather Skipworth, Founder IronMaori • Raelene Castle, CEO Canterbury Bulldogs Rugby League Club
2010 Blake Leaders Blake Medallist: Sir Ray Avery, Chief Executive, Medicine Mondiale • Jamie Tuuta, Maori Trustee • Dr Renee Liang, Consultant Paediatrician, poet, short story writer and playwright • Catriona Williams, Founder and Trustee, The CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Trust • Ngarimu Blair, Consultant • Chris Quin, CEO, Telecom Retail • Dr Karen Willcox, Associate Professor and Co-Director, Centre for Computational Engineering, MIT 34 | LEADERSHIP Celebrating great New Zealanders
2009 Blake Leaders Blake Medallist: Dr John Hood, President and Chief Executive, The Robertson Foundation • Rachel Paris, Partner, Bell Gully • Russell Mardon, Helidubai, International Airport • Andrew Hamilton, CEO, The Icehouse • Alfred Ngaro, Member of Parliament • Iva Ropati, Principal, Howick College • John Penno, CEO, Synlait
2008 Blake Leaders
Blake Medallist: Sir Murray Halberg, Founder, The Halberg Trust • Oscar Kightley, Playwright and actor • Julie Chapman, CEO, KidsCan Charitable Trust • Sarah Ulmer, Director, Sarah Ulmer Brand • Rebecca Caughey, Managing Director, Funktion Music • Keriana Brooking, Chief Advisor, System Integration Group, Ministry of Health • Michael Sabin, Member of Parliament
2007 Blake Leaders
Blake Medallist: Professor Sir Paul Callaghan, (1947-2012) Former Director of the MacDiarmid Institute and Professor of Physical Sciences • Captain Andy Grant, Director of Personnel Capability and Development, Ministry of Defence • Annette Fale, General Manager, The Halogen Foundation • Steven Hall, Principal, Wakatipu High School • Dr Justin Vaughan, GM at NIB Insurance • Shelley Campbell, CEO, Sir Peter Blake Trust • Tim O’Connor, Headmaster, Auckland Grammar
2006 Blake Leaders
Blake Medallist: Sir Stephen Tindall, Founder and Chair, The Warehouse Ltd and The Tindall Foundation • David McConnell, Managing Director, McConnell Group • Andrew Berry, Business Owner, Superior Personal Ltd • Sarah Trotman, Director Business Relations, AUT University • Emeline Afeaki-Mafile’o, CEO, Affirming Works • Professor Gary Wilson, Director, New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute • Michael Redman, CEO, Auckland Blues
2005 Blake Leaders
Blake Medallist: Sir John Anderson, Chair and Director of private and Government entities • Greg Fleming, CEO, VENN Foundation • Glen Sowry, CEO, Housing New Zealand Corporation • Samara Nicholas, Director, Experiencing Marine Reserves • Mark Weldon, Business Owner, Director • Steve Carden, CEO Landcorp • Neil Paviour-Smith, Managing Director, Forsyth Barr
WHAT BETTER WAY TO PREPARE FOR A CAREER IN THE GLOBAL BUSINESS COMMUNITY... THAN TO LEARN FROM A BLAKE LEADER WHO GETS BUSINESS.
Derek Handley is a serial entrepreneur. He founded wildly successful mobile marketing company the Hyperfactory followed by NZAX listed Snakk Media. He’s been recognised by Ernst & Young as a Young Entrepreneur of the Year, and he’s a Sir Peter Blake Trust Blake Leader. He has worked alongside Richard Branson to provide global leadership on sustainability. And now Derek Handley has joined the faculty at the AUT University Business School.
As our Adjunct Executive Professor, Derek provides priceless insights from his own business experience. He challenges and inspires students to look at underlying trends and re-think business for the 21st Century. It’s a mission that dovetails neatly with the Business School’s focus on educating tomorrow’s business leaders. In addition to learning from high achievers, AUT Business School students have the opportunity to experience leadership first-hand, thanks to our Shadow a Leader initiative held during Leadership Week.
To find out more visit aut.ac.nz/business or call Blake Leader Sarah Trotman, Director Business Relations (09) 921 9999 Ext 5391.
THE BUSINESS SCHOOL THAT BUILDS LEADERS
We’re helping the next generation go even further. As part of our commitment to education, we want to make sure the next generation gets a good head start. We continue to invest in schools throughout New Zealand, have created public-private partnerships, and established the Next Generation Leaders Programme to identify and develop the talents of New Zealand’s youth. We’re also a principal sponsor of The Sir Peter Blake Trust, fostering sustainability and leadership, so that we see more young Kiwis making big waves in the future. For more information about our investment in young Kiwis phone 0800 FUJIXEROX or visit fujixerox.co.nz