Sir James Wallace KNZM
Sir James Wallace, of Auckland, received the honour of knighthood and the Insignia of a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the arts. Sir James is the founder and Director of the James Wallace Arts Trust and has made a significant contribution as a patron of the arts in New Zealand. Last year he made the TSB Bank Wallace Arts Centre the permanent home of the Trust’s collection of more than 5,500 contemporary New Zealand artworks. The collection, estimated to be worth more than $50 million, is now available for display to the public in free rotating exhibitions. Sir James funds the Trust at $1.5 million per year so that it can continue to add to the collection and support the arts in general in New Zealand. He has also given Rannoch, a large arts and crafts house, to the Trust for use for fundraising events for artists and art organisations. The annual Wallace Arts Awards are the longest surviving and largest awards of their kind in New Zealand, with prizes including overseas residencies. Sir James is a patron, trustee or board member of more than 20 organisations. He has spent more than 50 years doing voluntary work for a range of organisations including the New Zealand Ski Association.