New Year Honours: New Officers include Rich Listers, vintner and sharebroker

New Officers of the Order of New Zealand (ONZM) include long-standing identities in sharebroking,  wine, property development and corporate governance.

As well as successful business careers (they include three past and present NBR Rich Listers), all contribute generously in both time and donations to philanthropic and community organisations.

Joe Babich, Auckland
A wine industry for more than 50 years, he joined the family’s business Babich Wines in 1958, became general manager in the mid-1990s and is still managing director. Babich Wines supplies New Zealand and 35 other countries, with vineyards in Auckland, Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay. The Babich family is on the NBR RICH LIST. 

James (Jim) Boult, Central Otago
Canterbury can thank the former chief executive Christchurch Airport (2009-13) for its new terminal and increasing number of international airlines. Mr Boult has been on most of the tourism industry’s bodies at some time and has led delegations to China to invite airlines to fly direct to Christchurch. A onetime property developer, he has recently been appointed an executive director of Hawkins Group, a construction company

John Hunn, Wellington
Regional development, tourism and cricket have been the focus for this distinguished Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Directors. He has been chairman of the Wellington Regional Enterprise Board and the New Zealand Committee of PBEC, and a member of the New Zealand Business and Parliament Trust, the New Zealand Tourism Council and Enterprise Trust New Zealand.

Bryan Johnson, Wellington
As a senior partner in sharebroker Jarden and Co from the 1970s, Mr Johnson has never been far away from the centre of big business when companies such as Fletcher Challenge, Goodman Group, Carter Holt and Brierley Investments were dominant. In the early 1990s he became the chairman of CS First Boston New Zealand (now First New Zealand Capital) and until recently had long-running entry in the NBR RICH LIST.

Ted Manson, Auckland
The Queen City’s leading privately owned property development company puts the Manson family on the NBR RICH LIST. Mr Manson was responsible for the first two buildings in that city to be certified by the New Zealand Green Building Council. The Mansons’ company has developed and constructed more certified Green Star buildings than any other private or publically-listed developer and he has led more than $2 billion worth of property projects.

Susan Paterson, Auckland
The former Fletcher Challenge executive is honoured for her services to corporate governance, so it’s not surprising she has a long list of directorships. They include chairmanship of Airways Corporation and board membership of Abano Healthcare Group, Housing New Zealand, the Electricity Authority, Les Mills, Theta Systems and Goodman New Zealand. Mrs Paterson is a former director of Ports of Auckland, Ngawha Generation, Auckland Regional Holdings, Transpower New Zealand, the America’s Cup Village and Tower Health and Life.