Who is on The Press Power List 2024?

Saturday, 23 March 2024

The most powerful people in the South Island may not be who you imagine. Senior journalist Philip Matthews consulted widely to draw up a list of 50 names for The Press Power List 2024.

The first question to ask when drawing up a power list is not who has it, or where it is, but what it is. On one hand, this is easy. Politicians are powerful and the Prime Minister is the most powerful person in New Zealand. No one would disagree.

But there are other kinds of power. As well as political power, there is commercial power and there is cultural power. And there is something subtly different, which is influence.

Rich lists may overlap with power lists, but they are not the same thing, although a few South Island rich-listers appear on this list. But that does not mean that wealth is the same as influence. And while wealth can be inherited, it does not automatically become power.

The Press first drew up a power list in 2005. That list, and subsequent ones, were Christchurch power lists. But this time we have concerned ourselves with the wider South Island.

Of course, Christchurch remains dominant, as a commercial, cultural and political centre, and the greater Christchurch area contains more than a third of the entire South Island population and is growing faster than other centres. But we wanted to know about Nelson, Dunedin, Invercargill, Queenstown, the West Coast, Timaru, Ashburton and what may yet be seen in Geraldine, as South Island poet Denis Glover put it.

Is there an element of South Island separatism in this? Perhaps, but it was unintentional. Yet it was surprising to learn how under-represented the South Island is in our current government.

The south’s highest-ranking government minister, Matt Doocey, is at number 17 in Cabinet. National politics is increasingly dominated by Aucklanders. But people still recall the close attention Sir John Key paid to the south during the time of the Canterbury and Kaikoura earthquakes and the Pike River disaster. He spoke fondly of his Christchurch childhood and his remaining family connections in the city. Then there were the deeper South Island roots of Bill English and Gerry Brownlee. In Dame Jacinda Ardern’s government, Grant Robertson and Megan Woods were high-ranking South Islanders.

You might expect a South Island power list to have the mayor of the largest city at the top, as it was with former Christchurch Mayor Garry Moore in our debut list in 2005, but that is not the case in 2024. Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger is conspicuously outranked by a Christchurch property developer who famously flexed his commercial muscles at the Christchurch City Council in 2023.

But Mauger, who is at number 4, could console himself by recalling that on a 2013 power list that reflected interventions in the post-earthquake city, former mayor Sir Bob Parker was at number 16.

As with previous power lists, we found that there is relatively little commercial power exercised at a national level from the South Island. That remains something to think about.

The might of South Island iwi Ngāi Tahu is reflected across all three forms of power, from commercial to political to cultural. That power has grown dramatically since the Christchurch earthquakes, when the iwi became a formal partner in the city’s rebuild. Tā Tipene O’Regan, Te Maire Tau, Justin Tipa, Francois and Lisa Tumahai are on the list, and past and present Ngāi Tahu powerbrokers Tā Mark Solomon, Arihia Bennett, David Perenara-O’Connell, Liz Brown, Gabrielle Huria and Hana O’Regan were contenders.

“They are very influential in Canterbury in ways not often understood in mainstream media reporting,” one of our experts said, adding: “Ngāi Tahu is in the ascendancy right now and it would be a brave or foolish government of left or right to ignore their voice and mana.”

Prominent Māori academic Jacinta Ruru is also from the deep south but of a different iwi. Te Pāti Māori’s new Te Tai Tonga MP, Tākuta Ferris, has some Ngāi Tahu whakapapa but is North Island-based and was ruled ineligible.

Once we get past the politicians and the rich-list figures, what does influence look like?

Some might notice that religion is missing. Spiritual influence is a hard thing to measure in an increasingly secular society. Figures such as Anglican Bishop Peter Carrell, Catholic Bishop Michael Gielen and Al Noor mosque Imam Gamal Fouda wield influence within their communities, and both Carrell and Gielen were strong contenders due to the fact that their denominations are rebuilding cathedrals in Christchurch. But in the end, we named Mark Stewart, who is the more public face of the Christ Church Cathedral rebuild.

There are sporting figures of course, from such inevitable list-placers as Richie McCaw, Sir Richard Hadlee and Scott Robertson to one newcomer, Winter Olympian Zoi Sadowski-Synnott. If there was a power list for making a strong impression on live television, her father Sean Synnott might have a shot.

There are fewer arts figures than you might expect, given the traditional love of the arts in Christchurch and Dunedin. Their relative absence may reflect the difficult times artists and arts institutions are facing in a tougher economy.

Some of our names are using their influence or prominence to make the world a better place. We are thinking in particular of Dame Sue and Phil Bagshaw, Corinne Haines, Lucy Hone and Hayley Guglietta. Or like writer Tusiata Avia and academic Bronwyn Hayward, they are bringing valuable new ideas into the mainstream.

While we consulted experts all around the South Island, we want to know who we have missed. Are there any glaring omissions? Suggestions can be emailed to philip.matthews@stuff.co.nz, with a short summary of why your nominee should have been there. These may appear in a follow-up story.

There will also be a story looking at our “Succession” families, those multi-generational families wielding corporate power and influence in the South Island, plus a list of “10 to watch” featuring newer, younger names from politics, the arts, sport, hospitality and activism. These may turn out to be the powerbrokers of tomorrow.

THE LIST

1 Philip Carter. Despite the government’s post-earthquake blueprint, it was the city’s established property developers who took the lead in rebuilding central Christchurch. Philip Carter of the Carter Group is the biggest and boldest of them all, and he has not been afraid to wield his considerable financial and political clout when necessary. The public battle over one-way streets around the new stadium was just one example. Carter threatened to put several major projects on hold unless the Christchurch City Council saw things his way. It soon did. That’s power.

2 Tā Tipene O’Regan. No one in Te Wai Pounamu the South Island carries as much mana as Tā Tipene O’Regan, who has had a huge and lasting influence on the post-Treaty-settlement culture of his iwi, Ngāi Tahu. Both a great orator and a great negotiator, and an academic by training, the 84-year-old O’Regan remains a charismatic and widely respected advocate for the past, present and future of Ngāi Tahu. An appearance at the Kiingitanga hui at Tūrangawaewae Marae in January demonstrated his ongoing status at a national level.

3 Richard Peebles, Mike Percasky and Kris Inglis. The Christchurch property developers and investors are the brains behind Little High and Riverside Market, two hospitality gambles that quickly became fixtures in the post-quake city. While Richard Peebles deservedly receives much of the attention, observers say the younger Mike Percasky is a creative force whose talent has benefited the city greatly.

4 Phil Mauger. The Christchurch mayor would usually be the most important position in the South Island, but Phil Mauger, who came to the job without political experience, has yet to grow into the role. While he is unquestionably well-meaning, his lack of political nous has been revealed in some of his more puzzling pronouncements. Support of an unlikely Commonwealth Games bid and daft comments about libraries were just two of them. Some insiders say that Christchurch City Councillor and Finance and Performance Committee chair Sam MacDonald, who acts as Mauger’s adviser, is the power behind the throne.

5 Justin Tipa. The new kaiwhakahaere or chairman of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu has taken over at an interesting time, given that chief executive Arihia Bennett is stepping down after 12 years running the commercial arm of the iwi. Tipa, who is from Moeraki, was elected on a platform of generational change, but his already difficult job of balancing conservative and progressive factions in the iwi has been made even more challenging by the coalition government’s agenda.

6 Scott Robertson. The Crusaders’ loss is of course the All Blacks’ gain, but only time will tell if the much-loved and crowd pleasing Scott “Razor” Robertson will prove to be the best coach in New Zealand rugby history, or just one of the best. Then there is the eccentric breakdancing.

7 Sam Broughton. Sam Broughton is not only mayor of the Selwyn District, which is the fastest-growing in the country, he is also president of Local Government New Zealand, making him the mayor of mayors. He is recognised as having a deep understanding of the issues and challenges that face local government and while relatively young for a local government role, he speaks with authority.

8 Te Maire Tau. An historian by training, Te Maire Tau became the first director of the University of Canterbury’s Ngāi Tahu Research Centre in 2011 and is Pou Whakarae in the university’s pioneering Office of Treaty Partnership. As Ūpoko of Ngāi Tūāhuriri, a Ngāi Tahu hapu, he is playing a leading role in devolution to the rūnanga that make up Te Rūnanga O Ngāi Tahu. He is also notable for building connections with other First Nations peoples, particularly in North America.

9 Sir Ian Taylor. An open letter from Dunedin’s Sir Ian Taylor can create a national uproar, such is his influence and name recognition. In his hometown, his political patronage is sought after by councillors who can be persuaded to see his point of view about favoured civic projects. But the political noise tends to overshadow Taylor’s business innovation, which was to build an animation company that revolutionised global sports broadcasting.

10 Cheryl de la Rey. When the South African psychology academic turned university manager Cheryl de la Rey took over the role of vice-chancellor of Canterbury University in 2019, it was the end of a tough decade of earthquake disruption and declining student numbers. But the past five years have seen a turnaround, with enrolments hitting record highs and a partnership formed with Māori that is unique in New Zealand’s tertiary sector.

11 Jacinta Ruru. The Otago University law professor was recently appointed first deputy vice-chancellor Māori at the South Island’s oldest university. A pre-eminent indigenous legal scholar, Jacinta Ruru was on the panel that wrote the He Puapua report, which was sadly lost in culture war drama. There were concerns that Otago’s commitment to the Treaty might wane after the early departure of vice-chancellor David Murdoch but Ruru’s elevation and the appointment of Grant Robertson as vice-chancellor from July has assuaged those fears.

12 Matt Doocey. Waimakariri’s Matt Doocey is the South Island’s highest-ranked National MP, yet he is 17th in Cabinet, which speaks volumes about the relative neglect of the south in Wellington. Doocey has the mental health portfolio, about which he speaks passionately and where there is scope to make a positive difference, if budgets allow. He is also the Tourism Minister, which is enormously relevant to the South Island economy.

13 Greg Tomlinson. The NBR calculated Christchurch businessman and investor Greg Tomlinson to be worth $520 million on its 2023 rich list. The publicity-shy but determined Tomlinson was a pioneer of the mussel industry in Marlborough as a teenager who spotted an opportunity, before he moved into property development at the age of 19. Wine has been another passion and he built up the Marlborough wine giant Indevin, which acquired the Villa Maria brand in 2021. Aged care and finance are among his other interests. He was inducted into the NZ Business Hall of Fame in 2022.

14 Sir Peter Talley. Knighted in 2015 for services to business and philanthropy, the Motueka-based Sir Peter Ivan Talijancich is joint managing director of seafood giant the Talley’s Group. The son of a Yugoslavian immigrant who opened a fish shop, his personal wealth was estimated at $390m in 2020. He has also made headlines for donations to political parties and supports Motueka and Nelson charities.

15 Mary Devine. A highly respected leader and manager in the retail sector, Mary Devine took on the role of South Island chief executive of supermarket giant Foodstuffs in 2021, following stints as chief executive of EziBuy, the managing director of Ballantynes, group managing director of Hallenstein Glassons​ and a brief period as chief executive of the Carter Group during the construction of The Crossing in central Christchurch. Her challenge at Foodstuffs has been to lead the merger of the North Island and South Island businesses, which has not yet been approved by the Commerce Commission.

16 Dave Beeche. The new chief executive of the Queenstown-based tourism company RealNZ has local connections. Beeche founded the Queenstown Marathon in 2014 and promised to cycle from Auckland to his new base in Arrowtown when he took up the role. Such energy will be necessary if Beeche is to rebuild the south’s tourism numbers. Prior to joining RealNZ, Beeche was chief executive of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

17 Colin Mansbridge. Crusaders chief executive Colin Mansbridge has had a few challenges to deal with during his time as boss of the Canterbury franchise, including questions over the team’s name after the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, the controversy over an expensive stadium and the loss of star coach Scott Robertson. And there is no avoiding the fact that the team has underperformed in 2024 under new coach Rob Penney.

18 Sandy Graham. Given the leadership vacuum among the elected arm of the Dunedin City Council, the office machinery is largely left to get on with business. Efficient and broadly liked, the chief executive of the South Island’s second largest city wields significant influence over not just the business of council, but also its wider investment portfolio.

19 Tim Glasson. Christchurch’s post-quake environment was reshaped by local property developers who chose to keep their money in their hometown, rather than international investors who failed to be enticed by the blueprint. Tim Glasson is one of them. A major shareholder and director of the retail giant Hallenstein Glassons, he developed the $80m ANZ Centre which became a cornerstone of a steadily more vibrant central city.

20 Megan Woods. The latest caucus reshuffle has put Wigram MP Megan Woods third in Labour’s line-up, behind leader Chris Hipkins and deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni, and she is easily the most powerful and influential Labour MP in the South Island. But is she keen on another spell in opposition now that colleagues Jacinda Ardern, Andrew Little and Grant Robertson have gone or are going? Or do their departures make it more vital that someone with her experience stays on?

21 Nick Smith. Nick Smith retired from parliamentary politics in 2021, after nearly 31 years as National’s Tasman and Nelson MP and a minister with a range of portfolios. He surprised many by unretiring a year later, when he won Nelson’s mayoral race, although he was still in his late 50s. As a mayoral candidate, Smith was strongly opposed to the government’s Three Waters reforms, and he should benefit from a closer, natural relationship with the National-led coalition.

22 Jocelyn O’Donnell. Bill Richardson turned the HW Richardson Group into a Southland transport empire before his sudden death in 2005. While his widow, Shona, remains owner of the family firm, his daughter Jocelyn is governing director and her husband, Scott O’Donnell, is also a director. At last count, HW Richardson had more than 2500 employees in New Zealand and Australia, and annual revenue of $2 billion. A transition to hydrogen technology is a current focus.

23 Jianping Wang. Jianping “JP” Wang is sole shareholder and chairman of Huadu International, a property development company with interests in Christchurch’s growing health precinct, along with other projects. Huadu first came to local attention through a partnership with former mayor Sir Bob Parker. It also owns Christchurch’s weekly Chinese language newspaper, the New Zealand Messenger.

24 Corinne Haines. The first woman to ever be Christchurch City Missioner came out of retirement to take on the role in 2022, having served 43 years with software company Trimble Navigation, where she ended her career as managing director. She saw that her Anglican faith interlocked perfectly with the social role of the City Mission, which helps the city’s most vulnerable people.

25 Paul Anderson. Paul Anderson swapped Christchurch for Queenstown in 2013 when he took up the role of chief executive at NZSki, which runs the Coronet Peak, Mt Hutt and the Remarkables ski fields. The South Island skiing business has been hammered by the visitor slump that followed Covid-19 and unpredictable weather patterns, but it remains a jewel in the crown of the New Zealand tourism industry.

26 Francois and Lisa Tumahai. You can fairly call Francois and Lisa Tumahai a West Coast power couple. He is chair of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Waewae and iwi representative on the Grey District Council, among other roles. She spent six years as kaiwhakahaere of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu before stepping down in 2023. She continues to be deputy chairperson of He Pou o Rangi Climate Change Commission, and recently joined the boards of the University of Canterbury Council and the Waitangi National Trust.

27 Oliver Hickman and Vincent Holloway. The two young property developers founded Brooksfield, which has created an appealing niche within the rapid densification of urban and suburban Christchurch. They eschew the bland monotony of the boxy townhouse, preferring an alternative based on older British house styles that seems weirdly at home in the 21st century garden city. A $14m complex at Sumner is a major step up.

28 Rod Carr. The fearsomely intelligent former University of Canterbury vice-chancellor and Reserve Bank deputy governor delayed his retirement when he was approached to be the first chairperson of He Pou o Rangi Climate Change Commission in 2019. The commission’s role is to deliver tough but important advice to the government, even if the advice is not necessarily welcome. In his role as chair, Carr has patiently given hundreds of media interviews, seminars and presentations about the commission’s work. His five-year term ends in late 2024.

29 Gary Rooney. Legend has it that Gary Rooney started an earthmoving business in Waimate in 1976 with just one bulldozer. Five decades later, he is a major property owner and developer in Waimate and Timaru and oversees farming, contracting and consulting companies that bear his name. The NBR rich lister estimated his wealth at $120m in 2018. Current projects include a major and long-awaited redevelopment of Waimate’s historic Quinn’s Arcade.

30 Mary Richardson. Long-time Christchurch City Council employee Mary Richardson stepped up in a crisis, taking over the role of chief executive in 2023 after the sudden departure of Dawn Baxendale. While Richardson did not want the job permanently, and will return to her position as general manager of citizens and community when a replacement is found, she strikes those who work with her as a remarkable leader who is trusted by governance and staff alike.

31 Bryce McKenzie and Laurie Paterson. Two farmers from the deep south started on Facebook with a complaint about regulations. Within months their Groundswell movement was launching a petition, holding public meetings all over the South Island and, famously, driving tractors down main streets. Groundswell harnessed a sense of grievance in the rural sector that surprised urbanites and influenced the outcome of the 2023 election.

32 Kamala Hayman, Keith Lynch, Martin van Beynen and Mike Yardley. There was a time when the editor of The Press would automatically be near the top of a South Island power list, such was the newspaper’s place in Christchurch’s establishment. But times have changed and the media is fragmented. Yet The Press, edited by Kamala Hayman, and Stuff, edited by Keith Lynch, still wield significant influence and combine to form the South Island’s leading news source. In The Press, senior investigative journalist Martin van Beynen is synonymous with the paper having unearthed countless significant stories about crime and corruption over three decades while weekly columnist Mike Yardley makes his mark with an unerring sense of the hot-button issues for Christchurch readers.

33 Sir Julian Smith. The Otago Daily Times (ODT) may be old-fashioned in some ways, but it has its finger on the pulse of Dunedin, while its owner Allied Press has steadily built a growing network of community newspapers from North Canterbury and Christchurch to the West Coast and Southland, including Queenstown’s Mountain Scene. It is still a family firm and while Sir Julian Smith nominally stepped back from day-to-day operations at the ODT some years ago, he remains on the board and his presence continues to loom large over both its business and editorial decision making.

34 Marcus Lush, Jamie Mackay and John MacDonald. Newstalk ZB is the most successful commercial radio broadcaster in the country and three of its southern personalities have a wide reach. Lush commands a national audience from his home base in Bluff and the station describes his nightly show as “New Zealand’s largest watercooler”. Mackay’s weekday show, The Country, is agenda-setting rural commentary from Southland. Further north in Christchurch, MacDonald hosts the network’s Canterbury Mornings, as an alternative to RNZ’s Auckland and Wellington leanings.

35 Ben and Penny Gough. The Christchurch couple are arts philanthropists who have prominently supported campaigns for the Christchurch Art Gallery and the Court Theatre, with Ben Gough now in the role of Patron of the Friends of the Court, after the retirement of Dame Adrienne Stewart (and before her, Sir Robertson Stewart). Other notable Cantabrians operating in the arts-corporate area include Justin and Clare Murray of investment banking firm Murray & Co and the indefatigable Jo Blair, founder of Brown Bread, an arts and branding agency that emerged to fill a gap after the Christchurch earthquakes.

36 Callam Mitchell. The Team Event founder must possess an almost instinctive understanding of the tastes of the Christchurch public. He knows what they want to see and hear, and even eat and drink. His portfolio of summer events now includes the Nostalgia Festival at Ferrymead Heritage Park, a wine and food festival and a beer festival, and the king of them all, Electric Avenue, for which Mitchell’s team persuaded dance music legends the Chemical Brothers to headline a Saturday night in Hagley Park in 2024 before 35,000 people.

37 Phil Rossiter. Rossiter and a team of volunteers turned the partially-formed Old Ghost Road, once used by gold miners, into an 85km tramping and mountain biking track through the Buller district that has become a must for the more adventurous West Coast tourist. He is now the project manager for another major West Coast initiative, the $41m development at Punakaiki, including an “experience centre” that will be owned and operated by Ngāti Waewae and will tell important parts of the story of a unique cultural and tourist site.

38 Bronwyn Hayward. The University of Canterbury politics professor is a globally-recognised and tireless voice on climate change and youth politics. She was a lead author on the UN's IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming, and she brings both intelligence and compassion to her subjects, along with an appropriate amount of existential concern.

39 Richie McCaw. In a region where rugby is a religion, the former All Black captain is like a retired Pope. He’s officially out of the limelight but still has serious clout and public goodwill. He turned down a knighthood but in 2016 he became one of the 23 members of the Order of New Zealand. Tā Tipene O’Regan is the only other ONZ member on this list, but Richie McCaw is younger than the other members by decades.

40 Sir Richard Hadlee. The Canterbury cricket legend lent his name and fundraising weight to the Sir Richard Hadlee Sports Centre, situated next to the Hagley Oval, which has in turn become an essential part of Christchurch’s sporting infrastructure and, arguably, the country’s leading cricket ground. When the centre opened in 2022, Hadlee described it as his legacy to local cricket.

41 Hugh Lindo. A Simpson Grierson partner who heads the law firm’s Christchurch office, and a past president of the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce, Lindo is on this list in his role as the board chair of Christ’s College, with all the status and heft of establishment tradition the school still carries in Christchurch. As well as its educational role, the college also remains a significant landowner in the central city.

42 Mark Stewart. The long-haired scion of the Stewart dynasty became the public face of the long-running repair of the Christ Church Cathedral when he became chair of Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Ltd in 2021. He launched a major fundraising programme in 2024. His cathedral work caps off a long run of community and philanthropy projects in Canterbury. He is also a Malaysian honorary consul, and holds a Datuk, the Malaysian equivalent of a knighthood.

43 Hayley Guglietta. A new kind of grassroots environmental activism sprang up in Christchurch after the earthquakes as questions emerged about land use, climate change and local sustainability. Hayley Guglietta is one of the key figures in that line of green thinking as network manager of the Avon-Ōtākaro Network, which pursued a dream of a river park and ecological reserve in the residential red zone. Then there is the Ōtākaro Orchard, the community gardens and the mass trapping of pests. The word “Riverlution” sums it all up.

44 Brianne West. Christchurch entrepreneur Brianne West started a $100m ethical beauty company, Ethique, from a student flat at the age of 24. She followed that success story with a business mentoring service, Business But Better, and also has a charitable arm called the Ethique Foundation. She wanted to show that you can change the world, protect the environment and make a profit.

45 Nick Inkster. The hipster-bearded Nick Inkster is the proprietor behind a growing hospitality empire in post-quake Christchurch, and beyond. In 2021 he added Lyttelton’s Civil & Naval Bar to a portfolio of drinking spots that includes The Church Pub, the OGB, Paddy McNaughton’s Irish Pub and the Austin Room in the central city and the Fox & Ferret in the suburbs.

46 Hamish Riach. Hamish Riach was chief executive of the Crusaders for 17 long and fairly glorious years before he took up a role as chief executive of the Ashburton District Council in late 2018, returning to his roots in local government. He has been in the Ashburton job for more than five years now which means that people are starting to ask the obvious question. What is his next move?

47 Lucy Hone. An internationally recognised expert on resilience and grieving, the Christchurch-based psychologist Lucy Hone has shared knowledge that is both academic and devastating personally. Her book What Abi Taught Us followed the death of her 12-year-old daughter in a car crash in 2013. She writes and speaks on the subject of resilience, and there is a hunger for her insights. A Ted Talk titled 3 Secrets of Resilient People has been viewed more than 6 million times.

48 Dame Sue Bagshaw and Phil Bagshaw. The “Brilliant Bagshaws”, as a documentary-maker called them, are Christchurch’s doctors with a social conscience. Dame Sue’s focus has been on youth health and her Christchurch Youth Hub will start opening in stages from late 2024. Professor Phil channelled his dissatisfaction with the system into the Canterbury Charity Hospital, which has had more than 24,000 patient visits since it opened in 2007. He is also an advisor to the board of the Southern Charity Hospital, which may open in Invercargill this year, and has been driven by Melissa Vining, who lost her husband Blair to cancer.

49 Tusiata Avia. With one poem about Captain Cook, the Christchurch writer challenged the city’s English history and image, and ignited a tumultuous national debate about artistic freedom and creativity. But there’s more to her than controversy. Over a 20-year career, Tusiata Avia has had a series of major residencies, won prizes and was made a MNZM for services to poetry and the arts.

50 Zoi Sadowski-Synnott. Wānaka’s champion snowboarder won a gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics and she has been sought after by the corporate sector ever since. At the age of 23, she is already New Zealand’s most successful Winter Olympian and is inspiring countless other young New Zealanders to reach for global success. What does her future hold?

* Tell us what you think? Who did we miss out? Email philip.matthews@stuff.co.nz