The Selection Panel
The members of the Selection Panel are:
› Sir Ron Carter (Chair)
› Eion Edgar
› John Graham
› Dr Lester Levy
› Sir Wilson Whineray
› Sir John Anderson (invited to join 2006)
Sir Ron Carter, KNZM (Chair of the Selection Committee)
Sir Ron has a successful engineering background which led him to become Managing Director of Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner Limited in 1986 and Chairman of Beca Group Limited in 1995.
Sir Ron was knighted in 1998 for his contribution to engineering and business administration and in 2001 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Engineering by the University of Auckland.
He is Past Chairman of the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority and current Chairman of the Committee for Auckland. He is currently a director of Air New Zealand, Trust Power Limited and the Auckland Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry Limited.
Eion Edgar is Chairman of Forsyth Barr Group Ltd, a Dunedin based firm of sharebrokers and investment bankers.
He is President of the New Zealand Olympic Committee and Chairman of Queenstown Resort College. He is also a Director of the Accident Compensation Corporation, Martinborough Vineyards Estates Ltd, Mobile Surgical Services Ltd, Mr Chips Holdings Ltd, Scott Technology Ltd and Structureflex Group Ltd.
Eion is a Trustee of The Arts Foundation of New Zealand, the Central Lakes Trust, the Halberg Trust, Project K Foundation, the Rhododendrons for Dunedin Trust and the Skeggs Foundation. He is President of New Zealand Soccer Inc, and the Patron of the Wakatipu Trails Trust.
He has just completed five years as Chancellor of the University of Otago. Previously he was Chairman of the NZ Stock Exchange and a Director of the Reserve Bank of NZ.
In 1995 he was awarded the Dunedin Citizen of the Year for his contribution to the arts, business, education and the sporting community. In 2003 he received the Distinguished Companion of NZ Order of Merit. In 2004 he was named The NBR New Zealander of the Year.
D John Graham, CBE, MA, Dip Tchg
John Graham retired from the All Blacks at the end of 1965 to return to his real vocation, teaching. In 1973, he was appointed Principal of Auckland Grammar School, retiring after 21 years to establish a number of new private schools under the Academic Colleges Group.
In 1999 John Graham was named ‘New Zealander of the Year’ by North & South magazine. The cover article of the January 2000 edition ran under the heading, "John Graham, the man who set standards".
John was commissioner of Nga Tapawae College, manager of the New Zealand Cricket team, and in 2004 finished his term as Chancellor of the University of Auckland. He is currently Chairman of the New Zealand Rugby Union.
Dr Lester Levy is the Chief Executive of Excelerator: The New Zealand Leadership Institute and Adjunct Professor of Leadership at the University of Auckland Business School. A graduate of Medicine and an MBA, he has extensive management experience across both the private and public sectors having been Chief Executive of South Auckland Health, The Mercy Ascot Private Hospital Group and The New Zealand Blood Service. His formative management career was in the multinational environment with 3M and Beecham Research Laboratories.
Dr Levy’s governance experience includes being the Chairman of Boards of Directors in the fields of healthcare, biotechnology and film and television production.
He has previously been seconded to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet as an advisor, has been awarded the King’s Fund International Fellowship from the King’s Fund in London, is a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management and the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators, is the author of the book, Leadership and the Whirlpool Effect, and is a frequently invited speaker on the subject of leadership.
Sir Wilson Whineray, KNZM, OBE, MBA (Harvard), BCom
Sir Wilson Whineray captained the All Blacks from 1958-1965 and was named Sportsman of the Year in 1965. After graduating from the University of Auckland, he gained an MBA from Harvard University.
He has recently retired as Chairman of both the National Bank of New Zealand and from Carter Holt Harvey but currently serves as a Director on the Auckland International Airport Ltd, APN News and Media Ltd, and Nestle Ltd.
Sir Wilson was knighted in June 1998 for services to sport and business.
Sir Peter Blake
"Having vision is not enough. Change comes through realising the vision and turning it into a reality. It is easy to espouse worthy goals, values and policies; the hard part is implementation."
Learn about Sir Peter Blake and his journeys around the globe