Background
Sir John was born in 1924 and was educated at Nelson College from 1935 to 1942 and Canterbury University College, from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering in mechanical engineering in 1950.
Sir John was born in 1924 and was educated at Nelson College from 1935 to 1942 and Canterbury University College, from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering in mechanical engineering in 1950.
University of Canterbury. Nelson College.
His career included a period as chief executive of New Zealand Steel. Sir John was elected a Distinguished Fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand in 1997. He was also a Distinguished Fellow of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand, a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
Sir John was particularly known for his service to Maori, having first interacted with iwi such as Ngati Mahuta ki te Hauauru of Taharoa during his time at New Zealand Steel.
He was to develop a lifelong interest in the Maori people and their culture and language in all its diversity. Sir John died in Auckland on 1 April 2015.
He also served as a member of the University of Auckland Council and the Waitangi Tribunal.