John Davies (New Zealand businessman)

Sir John Stratton Davies KNZM QSO (born 1 July 1941)[2] is a New Zealand businessman and a former mayor of Queenstown. Through Trojan Holdings Ltd, he is a major owner of South Island tourism companies.

Sir John Davies

KNZM QSO
Davies in 2013
21st Mayor of Queenstown Borough
In office
1983–1986
Preceded byJim Grant
Succeeded byoffice abolished
1st Mayor of Queenstown-Lakes
In office
1986–1989
Succeeded byDavid Bradford
Personal details
Born
John Stratton Davies

(1941-07-01) 1 July 1941
Wellington, New Zealand
OccupationTourism entrepreneur
Net worth$140 million (2019)[1]

Early life

Davies was born in Wellington but raised in Dunedin.[2][3] His parents were Ina Amuri (née Robertson) and Donald William Davies. He received his education at John McGlashan College in Dunedin. In 1965, he married Patricia "Trish" Helen Uren. They have one son and one daughter.[2] Since the early 1960s, they have lived in Queenstown.[4]

Political career

Davies was a member of the Queenstown Borough Council from 1975 until the borough's abolition in 1986. For the last three years, he was the mayor of Queenstown Borough. After the merger with Lake County to form Queenstown-Lakes District, Davies was the inaugural mayor of Queenstown-Lakes for its first term until 1989.[2]

Business career

From 1958 to 1963, Davies was a high country musterer in Central Otago. In 1963, he purchased Wakatipu Transport Ltd and merged the company in 1967 with Northern Southland Transport Holdings Ltd (NSTH), of which he is the chairman. He was director of Davies Rentals Ltd, which was the local Avis Car Rental franchise for Queenstown.[2] He has invested into the tourism industry since the mid-1980s[3] and credits the people who "voted [him] out of the mayoralty" in the 1989 local elections for concentrating on the tourism industry more seriously.[4]

His first major purchase, in the mid-1980s, was the government's 40% share of Queenstown Airport.[3] After the end of his political career, he purchased the guided walks at the Routeburn and Milford tracks, followed by The Hermitage Hotel in Mount Cook Village. Together with other entrepreneurs, he bought three ski fields off Air New Zealand: Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, and Mount Hutt.[4] The companies are held through Trojan Holdings Ltd, with Davies the sole shareholder of that company.[5] That company holds 40% of the shares of Bungy New Zealand Limited, with A. J. Hackett the public face of it.[4][6] Trojan Holdings Ltd holds Aoraki/Mount Cook Alpine Village Limited,[7] which in turn owns The Hermitage Hotel.[8] Trojan Holdings Ltd holds NZSki Ltd, which in turn owns the ski fields.[9] Tourism Milford Limited is also held by Trojan Holdings Ltd and trades as Ultimate Hikes. This company operates the guided walks on the Routeburn and Milford tracks.[10][11][12] Trojan Holdings Ltd purchased the rights to the annual multisport event Coast to Coast in 2013 from its founder, Robin Judkins.[13][14]

Davies owns Stratton House in Queenstown, which houses the town's casino marketed as Skycity Queenstown, and the Station building, which houses booking offices for many of the tourism ventures owned by Trojan Holdings Ltd and others.[4]

Davies was chairman of Queenstown Airport[15] and chairman of the Coronet Peak ski field. In 2008, the new base building at Coronet Peak was named "JSD's Lodge at Coronet Peak", using Davies' initials in his honour.[16]

In 2019, National Business Review estimated that Davies had a net worth of NZ$140 million.[17] In 2016, it was reported that Davies had purchased a Bombardier Challenger 300 private jet worth over $20 million.[18][19][20]

Honours

In the 1995 New Year Honours, Davies was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for public services.[21] In the 2013 Birthday Honours, he was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to business and tourism.[22] Davies was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame in August 2019.[23]

References
  1. "NBR Rich List (Wealth Order)". National Business Review. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  2. Lambert, Max; Traue, James Edward; Taylor, Alister (1991). Who's Who in New Zealand, 1991 (12th ed.). Auckland: Octopus. pp. 151–152. ISBN 9780790001302. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  3. "Sir John Davies (KNZM)". Auckland Business Chamber. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  4. Beech, James (11 June 2013). "Sir John proud, grateful". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  5. "Trojan Holdings Limited (274579) Registered". New Zealand Companies Office. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  6. "Bungy New Zealand Limited (423093) Registered". New Zealand Companies Office. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  7. "Aoraki/Mount Cook Alpine Village Limited (691097) Registered". New Zealand Companies Office. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  8. "Hermitage Hotel Limited (1773930) Registered". New Zealand Companies Office. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  9. "NZSki Limited (1207016) Registered". New Zealand Companies Office. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  10. "Tourism Milford Limited (484210) Registered". New Zealand Companies Office. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  11. "About Ultimate Hikes". Ultimate Hikes. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  12. "Terms & Conditions". Ultimate Hikes. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  13. Longley, Geoff (10 May 2013). "Judkins sells Coast to Coast". The Press. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  14. Hutching, Chris (13 May 2013). "Rich List 'coasters' keep Judkins as 'beer boy'". National Business Review. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  15. Roxburgh, Tracey (16 July 2010). "Opponents critical". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  16. Roxburgh, Tracey (30 June 2008). "Davies honoured as Coronet Peak base building is opened". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  17. "Wealth order | NBR". www.nbr.co.nz. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  18. Price, Mark (27 May 2016). "Corporate jet parks at Wanaka". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  19. importer (31 May 2016). "Hello John, got a new motor?". Mountain Scene. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  20. "Editorial. Did Labour just lose Queenstown?". Crux. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  21. "No. 53894". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 31 December 1994. p. 34.
  22. "Queen's Birthday honours list 2013". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  23. Williams, Guy (16 August 2019). "Sir John enters Business Hall of Fame". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
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