Bill Birnie, of Auckland, CNZM for services to governance, the arts and sport
Bill Birnie is an investment banker who has served on the boards of Sport New Zealand and High Performance Sport New Zealand, the New Zealand Equestrian Federation, Far North Holdings Ltd, and the New Zealand Film Commission. He led the development of BlackGold, which connects philanthropic investors with the sport system, and is currently Chairman. As Chairman of KidsCan, he has helped double the number of low-decile schools assisted by the charity, and grown its revenue to more than $7 million per annum. He is a Trustee of the Pet Refuge New Zealand Charitable Trust. Mr Birnie led negotiations to establish the Wellington Regional Stadium, and has served as trustee for arts organisations including Play it Strange, James Wallace Arts Trust, Circa Theatre Artists Charitable Trust, and Wellington Arts Festival.