The Press Power List 2024: Keeping it in the family

Saturday, 6 April 2024

Business people from well known South Island families, clockwise from top left: Miranda Burdon, George Gould, Antony Gough, Murray Francis, Sir Robert Stewart and Liz Harris.

The Press’ Power List 2024 revealed 50 of the most powerful people in the South Island. What many have in common is a strong and ongoing connection to a multi-generational family business. MARTIN VAN BEYNEN reports.

The South Island and particularly Canterbury are still thought of as the refuge of old money.

While names like Acland and Elworthy are still associated with substantial farming assets, many businesses unconnected to the landed aristocracy have come to prominence.

There are exceptions off course. Christchurch-based investor George Gould, a descendant of the George Gould - who in 1851 started one of the businesses that would become PGG Wrightson - still holds some sway in the city.

Earl Hagaman, with wife Lani Hagaman, in 2014.

George’s father David was chairperson of The Press and George remained a director of PGG Wrightson until 2013. These days George, who has four children, runs an investment company. He still has connections with old money. Directors of his company Gould Holdings include Annabel Acland and Jan Rutherford.

Every industry in the South Island can point to at least one sizeable generational business, most of which manage their succession without the soap opera dramas that make good TV series like, well, Succession.

Some notable exceptions are the Hagaman and Gough families.

American immigrant Earl Hagaman, who died aged 92 in 2017, set up the Scenic Hotel chain starting with a hotel on the West Coast in 1981.

Antony Gough is a property developer and part of the well known Gough family, based in Canterbury.

Hagaman had five marriages, the last with Lani Hagaman with whom he had three children. After his death, the children from Hagaman’s other marriages began a legal battle with Lani over his estate thought to be worth about $180 million. The matter was settled just before a civil trial was due to start in August last year. Lani continues to own the Scenic Circle business and her son Zane has directorship responsibilities.

Gough Gough and Hamer was formed in 1929 by Edgar Gough, brother Tracy and friend Harry Hamer. The company started a very profitable association with American machinery company Caterpillar in 1932.

A nasty succession battle was fought between Tracy’s grandchildren from his two marriages. Conflicts boiled over in 1986 and were still in the courts in 2015. The family’s involvement with Gough Gough and Hamer ended in 2019 when the family interests were sold.

Max Bremner inside The Bog Irish Bar on Victoria St - part of his Oxford Group hospitality empire.

Antony Gough and his brother Tracy are substantial property developers and Tracy’s son James Gough is a city councillor.

A less fraught succession story can be told about the Carter family. The Carter Group was started by Maurice Carter and his wife Merle in 1946. Most of their sons went their separate ways but Philip Carter stayed in the business and took it to a new level. His son Tim, a former city councillor, is deeply involved in the family business, and no doubt is a contender for taking over.

Miranda Burdon chairs the board of the company her father Philip co-founded in the 1970s.

The Harris family also deserves a mention when it comes to property. Liz Harris bought her first investment property in Christchurch in 1984 and built her property portfolio to become one of the largest private landlords in the country. Her children Robbie, Chris and Jenna (and son-in-law Ben Dwan) work in the business and pursue their own property developments. The family has substantial holdings in New Brighton and recently sold their hotel building at 96 Lichfield St.

Figures in the hospitality industry come and go but a resilient presence is Max Bremner through his company Oxford Group. The group, which employs 210 people, owns a host of hospitality businesses in Christchurch and is involved in commercial property. His daughter Millie is the group’s human resources manager. His two other children have also worked in the business.

The Burdon family can rightly stake their claim to a highly successful generational business. Philip Burdon and friend Roger Giles started Meadow Mushrooms in 1970 and the company is now easily New Zealand’s largest mushroom grower with 450 staff.

Farmer Murray Turley is a shareholder of the country’s largest dairy farming company.

Burdon’s daughter Miranda chairs the current board and his other daughters Rebecca and Josephine are directors.

Other large family farming businesses include the Pye Group whose founder and king- pin Alan Pye died this month. He often made various rich lists with a fortune estimated at $350m. His son Leighton and Leighton’s wife Michelle are heavily involved in the family business and son Mark runs the company’s interests in South Australia.

The Turley family is also a significant player in the South Island farming scene. The head of Turley Farms, Murray Turley, runs a 1950-hectare concern at Temuka and Rangitata producing cereals, grass seed, white clover, onions and hybrid vegetable seeds. He is a director and shareholder of Dairy Holdings, the country’s largest dairy farmer with 63 dairy farms.

Murray Francis became the managing director of family business Road Metals three decades ago.

One of Murray’s daughters is the chief financial officer of Turley Farms. His other children are involved in various businesses of their own.

Canterbury is also notable for its highly successful contracting family companies.

Top of the list is Fulton Hogan, which had a revenue of $6.6 billion in the 2023 financial year. It remains a private company whose major shareholders include descendants of the founders Jules Fulton and Bob Hogan and several remain as directors.

Sir Robert Stewart, pictured at home in Christchurch in 2014, is behind SKOPE industries.

Gary Rooney, who started his company with one bulldozer in 1976, presides over what is arguably the largest earthmoving and contracting concern in the country and has many South Island farming interests including several high country stations. His four children all have roles in the company.

Smith Crane and Construction was formed by brothers Tim and Albert Smith in 1992, (their brother Nick took to politics) and traces its roots to the family business of their Dad John Smith. Three of Tim’s five children work in the business, which employs about 200 people and has the largest fleet of cranes in New Zealand.

Road Metals began as North Otago Road Metals in 1955 with Stan Francis at the helm. His son Murray took over as managing director in 1993 and the company expanded into Canterbury, becoming Road Metals.

John O'Brien, managing director and owner of Kiwicare, pictured in 2000.

Murray Francis and his brother Jonny are hands-on directors of the company and Murray’s son Dan is the chief operating officer. The company employs about 200 people in Christchurch, Oamaru, Twizel, Clyde and Kaikōura and is known for treating its staff as family.

Mauger Contracting, a family business since 1970, is small fry compared to the big earth moving contractors but has produced the present Christchurch mayor Phil. The company employs about 40 people and Phil’s daughter Brittany is the company’s human resources manager and a director.

Fraeona Heller is a chef and involved in quality assurance at her family’s business, Hellers.

Guthrey Holdings is the Christchurch-based parent company of ANZCRO, Ski Express, Kirra Holidays, I-Site Queenstown and Relaxing Journeys. Peter Guthrey founded the company and his son Nick has a major management role.

Bill and Gillian Gee started their garage and home building company in 1986 and through growth and acquisition control brands such as Spanbuild, Total Span and Versatile. Bill worked hands-on in the business until 1994 when he appointed executives. Their son Nick manages Australia and daughter Kat Saskia is a director.

Two generations of the Stewart family members have worked together to build SKOPE Industries into the global company it is today. Sir Robert Stewart bought the company 45 years ago when it employed 25 people. It now has 400 employees and is run by Guy, Sir Robert’s son.

Tim Glasson took over his father's company in the 1960s. Charles Glasson's company had started in the early 1900s as an open-to-the-public warehouse. Tim went on to found the Glassons womenswear chain and develop Hallenstein Glasson Holdings. His son manages the company’s interests in Australia.

In the 1950s Sir William Hamilton pioneered the first commercial water jet. In the next 70 years HamiltonJet became a market leader in water jets and vessel controls. The company is still family owned and employs 440 staff mostly in Christchurch. Richard and Michael Hamilton, sons of Jon Hamilton, remain as directors of the company which has an international presence. Jon, Sir William’s son, was an engineer, adventurer and expedition leader who died in 2009.

Kiwicare, which produces weed and pest control products, was set up by John O’Brien in 1985 as a small family company. His son Matthew O’Brien now runs the business, which manufactures in Christchurch and has a distribution centre in Auckland.

John Jones Steel is one of the largest and most advanced structural steel fabricating enterprises in New Zealand. It was started in a small Sydenham workshop in 1964 by Dutch immigrants John and Riet van Schaijik. Their son Francis now runs the company, which employs about 200 people throughout Canterbury. His three sons - William, Francis and Oscar - have various roles in the business.

Kypros Kotzika, originally from Cyprus began his United Fisheries business with a fish and chip shop in Christchurch in 1974. United Fisheries is now one of the top seafood companies in New Zealand and a major Canterbury employer. His sons Andre, Demetrios, Emilios, and Kyriakos are involved in the business, which also employs one of his grandchildren.

Hellers was founded by director Todd Heller, a fifth-generation butcher who had his own butcher shop in Christchurch's New Brighton, in 1985. His son Brydon, also a trained butcher, is the company's marketing co-ordinator and daughter Fraeona, a former restaurateur, is head chef and involved in quality assurance.