Outstanding Contributions To Wellington Honoured At The 2024 Wellington Address

The contributions of some of Wellington’s most prominent businesspeople were celebrated last night at the 2024 Wellington Address, hosted at Pipitea Marae.

The event recognised the mahi and relentless energy of three individuals and one business who have made outstanding contributions to our city. They are people who inspire others and help Wellington’s business community prosper and thrive.

The Address was jointly hosted Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Te Awe Māori Business Network and the Wellington Pasifika Business Network, together known as the Power of Three.

More than 240 people attended last night’s sold-out event, where Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters addressed honourees and guests.

The gala dinner was headlined by the Wellington Address, an ode to the city and a vision for its future. This year’s Address was delivered by John-Daniel Trask of tech company Raygun, who highlighted the importance of innovation, contribution and the role of business in the city's success.

The event was made possible with the help of our sponsors and partners, including Mercury IT, Pōneke Bakery and principal sponsor 2degrees.

"These awards are a celebration of the very best of our business community - hard work, dedication, innovation and a commitment to improving our city," said Wellington Chamber of Commerce CEO Simon Arcus.

"This year’s honourees all embody that spirit. We all better off for their work, and I extend my thanks to all the honourees. At times like these, it’s a powerful reminder of Wellington’s character and its potential in years to come," he said.

The honourees for the 2024 Wellington Address were:

Nominated by the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, sponsored by Mercury IT

Brian McGuinness

Nominated by Te Awe Māori Business Network, sponsored by Pōneke Bakery

Doug Hauraki

Nominated by the Wellington Pasifika Business Network

Adrian Orr

Company award, sponsored by 2degrees

The Wellington Company - Erskine Restoration

"The Wellington Chamber is delighted to recognise Brian McGuinness as an honouree of the 2024 Wellington Address," said Simon Arcus.

"With over 50 years of commitment to the family business, LT McGuinness, Brian has shown exceptional leadership and made enduring contributions to the Wellington urban landscape. An award for Brian is, in a very real sense, a recognition of the contribution of the McGuiness family.

"The Wellington Address serves to recognise those who serve us beyond the call of their professional duty. We are humbled to be recognising such an outstanding contribution from more than 50 years of dedication to the capital; nobody else has literally built a legacy on Wellington’s footprint quite like Brian McGuinness," Arcus said.

More information on the outstanding contributions of last night’s honourees is available below.

Brian McGuinness: With over 50 years of commitment to the family-founded construction company, LT McGuinness, Brian has shown exceptional leadership and made enduring contributions to the Wellington urban landscape.

Brian’s dedication to building excellence, his ability to develop long-standing local relationships, and his commitment to his word have contributed to the success of many of Wellington’s iconic buildings.

Doug Hauraki: Generations of Māori students, public servants and business owners will be delighted to know Doug Hauraki is this year’s Te Awe Wellington Māori Business Network honouree.

In bestowing this honour on Doug, Te Awe acknowledges his more than 55 years of service to Māori in both the private and public sectors and his lifelong devotion to better education and employment opportunities for Māori and Pasifika people.

Adrian Orr: The Wellington Pasifika Business Network us proud to recognise Adrian Orr as the Pasifika honouree for this year’s Wellington Address. The award celebrates Adrian’s 40 years of outstanding service to the banking and financial services sector, most recently as Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and its role of ensuring the stability of our financial system.

Of Cook Island and Irish descent, Adrian has been a trailblazer in his chosen profession, with a strong intergenerational view of economic and social issues and solutions.

The Wellington Company - Erskine Restoration:

After undertaking a painstaking 23-year journey to develop a hilly, heritage-listed site in Island Bay, The Wellington Company delivered a premium medium-density housing development which restored and retained a unique part of our architectural history.

Many others would have shied away from the challenge of restoring the Category-1 listed Erskine Chapel. The 1929 landmark had been neglected, vandalised and red-stickered for many years, as well as being subject to a lengthy legal challenge, despite the desire to protect it. But rather than walking away from the project, The Wellington Company took the step many would not, privately funding the vast bulk of the $7 million restoration and strengthening project to preserve it for generations to come.

Note:

The Power of Three is a joint agreement between the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, the Wellington Pasifika Business Network, and Te Awe Māori Business Network. The three business membership organisations share knowledge, services and cultural expertise to help grow businesses in the Wellington region.

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