2008

Maurice Prendergast is the former CEO of Comvita New Zealand and Pumpkin Patch. Under his leadership, Pumpkin Patch grew into a global company with more than 250 stores worldwide and over 3000 employees.

In 2012, it won the Supreme Award at the New Zealand International Business Awards.

Maurice has also held executive positions in accounting, distribution and property development in both New Zealand and Australian companies. 

Craig Norgate (1965-2015), a successful businessman and leader, was famous for being Fonterra’s first CEO from 2001-2003 before he headed to PGG Wrightson followed by the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants.

He was also on the boards of Port Taranaki and the New Plymouth District Council’s investment fund. Before that he was the inaugural President of the NZ/US Council, and a Director of the New Zealand Dairy Board, Sealord Group, NZRU and Mainlands Products as well as CEO of Kiwi Co-operative Dairies before it merged with others to form Fonterra.

In 2005, Craig won the New Zealand Herald Business Leader of the Year Award.

Phil Keoghan MNZM is best known for hosting the hit television series The Amazing Race since its 2001 debut.

He has also worked in more than 100 countries for over 24 years as an actor, author, television host, producer, director and cameraman. This includes creating and co-creating a number of original television series and completing a feature length documentary The Ride, which followed his 40-day, 3500-mile bike ride across America raising over $500,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  

In 2012, Phil was named as one of six Emerging Leaders at the Sir Peter Blake Leadership Awards for his support of the Christchurch earthquakes relief efforts.

In 2014, he was also made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to television and tourism. On top of this, he has won numerous professional awards, including seven prime-time Emmy Awards as a producer and host of The Amazing Race. 

Bruce Farr OBE is a highly successful designer of racing and cruising yachts.

He founded Farr Yacht Design, which is considered as the top racing-yacht design team in the world. The company’s long-running record of achievement dates back more than 30 years and includes 43 World Championships won in Farr designs and a multitude of design successes at internationally prestigious grand prix yachting events, including the Volvo Ocean Race (formerly the Whitbread Round the World Race), America’s Cup, Vendée Globe, Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, Barcelona World Race, Transat Jacques Vabre, Copa del Rey and many others.

In 1990, Bruce’s services to yachting were recognised by being awarded the Order of the British Empire.

In 2015, Bruce came out of retirement to consult on the design for an updated version of the 12-metre class that will be sailed in the San Francisco Yacht Racing Challenge in July 2017.

Peri Drysdale MBE is a successful international businesswoman and entrepreneur passionate about environmental sustainability.

In 1981, she founded Snowy Peak, designing and producing high quality innovative luxury knitwear, which she exported worldwide.

In the 1990s, she pioneered the development of possum fibre and wool and launched Merinomink. Concerned about the environmental degradation she was witnessing as she traveled the world, Peri later founded the sustainably lifestyle fashion brand Untouched World.  Under Peri’s leadership, Untouched World has won a host of global awards and became the first fashion company in the world to be given permission to carry the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.

The Untouched World Charitable Trust, funded by profits from sales of Untouched World, is meanwhile on a mission to play a leading role in the creation of a world where each individual’s full potential is realised while assisting the planet to sustain its ability to support current and future generations.  

Peri has received wide recognition for her work ranging from being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1992, to North and South Magazine’s New Zealander of the Year 2006, to being awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Commerce from Lincoln University in 2007. 

Rod Drury is a serial technology entrepreneur who has been involved in numerous successful start-ups. He is now the Founder and CEO of Xero, a leading global online accounting platform for small businesses.

Passionate about New Zealand participating with its full potential internationally in the tech space, he has been a strong advocate and supporter of issues such as Broadband.  

His awards include: EY New Zealand Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2013, Business Leader of the Year 2012, Distinguished Alumni Award 2011, Flying Kiwi Award and Member of the NZ Hi-Tech Hall of Fame 2009, Honorary Fellow of the New Zealand Computer Society 2008, NZ Hi-Tech Entrepreneur of the Year 2006 and 2007 and Wellingtonian of the Year Business Category 2014.  

Rod sits on the Victoria University Faculty of Commerce and Administration Advisory Board and is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors. Previous board memberships and directorships include TradeMe, SQL Services and NZTE. He also co-founded Pacific Fibre and was selected as New Zealand’s first representative on the Mircosoft MSDN Regional Director Programme.