When he was being inducted into the NZ Business Hall of Fame last year, John Hynds said that “failure was not an option” when he and his wife, Leonie, decided to start their own business in 1973.
Mr Hynds was giving up a steady job and company car as a sales rep for concrete pipe manufacturer Hume Industries.
The Hynds Group of companies now claims to be New Zealand’s premier product supplier for the management of water and water-based waste in civil and rural infrastructure.
Mr Hynds, now 71, has retired from the day-to-day running of the business to concentrate on charity work.
And charity definitely begins in their home town for the Hynds couple because much of their philanthropic efforts are focused on their alma mater, Manurewa High School where they first met as students.
The Hynds Foundation, formed in 2014, is working on forming partnerships with tertiary institutions, businesses and future employers and on inspiring the students to become involved in entrepreneurial activities.
Last year, the foundation threw its support behind the Heart Foundation by establishing a senior research fellowship.
Campaigning for the Heart Foundation earlier this year, Mr Hynds revealed he himself had developed heart disease after years of becoming progressively less active and running the business from sitting behind a desk.
Now, the whole group and its more than 500 staff are involved in backing the Heart Foundation.
Mr Hynds says he’s fortunate “being in a position where you can give back” and that all the company’s various branches and factories are contributing in some way to the Heart Foundation and the company also distributes literature on nutrition, exercise and health.
“At East Tamaki we have 120 men who are predominantly Pacific Island men, big men, strong and tough, but also have issues associated with the possibility of heart disease,” Mr Hynds says.
“We have a responsibility to do something in regard to our people. By supporting the Heart Foundation, we see that as something that’s available to all our people right throughout the country.”