Mr John Hynds, ONZM, Auckland
For services to business and philanthropy. Mr John Hynds founded the Hynds Group in 1973, and continues as Chair and joint owner. The Hynds Group specialises in the manufacture and supply of products for drainage, water main, environmental, industrial and rural applications. The Hynds Group employs more than 600 people in New Zealand and Australia. Mr Hynds is a strong advocate for retaining manufacturing capability in New Zealand. He has strongly supported research and development within Hynds, which has produced New Zealand’s first high-durability concrete pipe and the first plastic-lined concrete pipe. Through the Hynds Group he has supported the Manurewa Rugby Club, the Auckland Arts Foundation, and the Spirit of Adventure Trust, as well as other organisations. Recognising a lack of practical technical skills training for civil engineers in New Zealand in the 1990s, he established a significant annual prize within the Ingenium Association. Mr Hynds co-founded the Hynds Education Fund, which supports charitable and entrepreneurial educational activities in South Auckland.