Government House in Wellington has become a familiar port of call for members of the South Island’s Stewart family who continue to be officially recognised for services to manufacturing and the community.
The late Sir Robertson Stewart of PDL fame was the first to achieve a knighthood in 1979, and he was followed in 2014 by his son Robert, the owner of Skope Industries.
Next in line was Sir Robert’s half-brother Mark, who was made a member of the Order of Merit for services to the community and sport in the 2018 New Year’s Honours List.
Often seen in public wearing a Stewart tartan kilt, Mark chairs the Antarctic Heritage Trust and was instrumental in establishing the Hororata Community Trust to help rebuild the local community in the wake of the 2010 earthquake. He has also been a key driver behind the successful Hororata Highland Games and is a well-known youth mentor.
Mark also hit the headlines when he chalked up New Zealand’s most expensive house sale in 2017. Previously owned by Rich Lister Craig Heatley, Mark’s Takapuna mansion was sold to Chinese investor Lichun Gao for $28.88 million.
However, Mark’s usual residence of choice is the 275ha Windwhistle deer farm in Canterbury, which is valued at $6.5m.
With more than 34 years of commercial experience, Mark presides over an eclectic mix of investments including a 69% stake in the Ziwi pet food company, which counts Lady Gaga as a client. Through his Masthead group of companies he also holds a major shareholding in the struggling SeaDragon fish oil business worth about $22m on the NZX.
The Stewart family fortune sprung from Sir Robertson’s sale of PDL Industries to Schneider Electric in 2001 for $97m. However, Sir Robert has carved his own path as a manufacturer, leaving school at the age of 15 and borrowing money from his father to buy a controlling interest in Christchurch-based Skope Industries.
Starting with just 25 employees, Skope has become a global commercial refrigeration powerhouse that employs around 350 people and is now managed by third generation Stewarts, Guy and his sister Alexandra.
Photo: Jane Ussher