Business Hall of Fame: Sir Noel Robinson

Sir Noel Robinson. Photo / Supplied

Sir Noel Robinson, founder of manufacturing company Robinson Industries, has been inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame.

Robinson was born in 1943 and educated at St Peters School in Cambridge and St Kentigerns College Auckland.

After leaving school he joined Fisher and Paykel as an engineering cadet and became factory manager developing the Fisher Paykel property at East Tamaki, responsible for the design of new products.

In 1970, Robinson founded his own company Robinson Industries, manufacturing Range Hoods, Supertubs and Ironing centers which were sold all around the world.

Robinson was also involved in property developments projects at Highbrook Industrial Estate in Auckland and Paraparaumu Airport in Wellington.

Over his working life, Robinson has been involved in many visionary projects and has developed many significant manufacturing and commercial properties in the South Auckland region.

Further to his contributions to New Zealand business, Robinson has dedicated a lot of his time to philanthropic causes and gives extensively to low decile education.

In 2000, Robinson was approached for the task of founding and setting up the Second Nature Charitable Trust – formerly known as the Counties Manakau Pacific Trust – to develop his vision of creating a meeting place in the community that everyone could be proud of, which would become The Vodafone Events Centre.

This building and multi-cultural event center was completed in 2006. It houses facilities for community events for up to 4000 people, the Manukau Symphony orchestra, exhibitions and education and arts programs for children.

This led to the establishment of the Vector Wero Whitewater Park – a raft and kayak sporting centre that sits alongside The Vodafone Events Centre which opened its doors to the public in 2016. This is a world class facility which is open to the public, is used for international events and to date puts through over 15,000 children a year free of charge to educate them on water safety.

Next to the Vodafone Events Centre is the Conference Centre which puts through an additional 35,000 school children from South Auckland on many programs including arts, New Zealand history, water safety and team building.

As chairman of the Sir Woolf Fisher Trust and the Sir Woolf Fisher Charitable Trust, Robinson has worked hard supporting education in New Zealand, sending over 1400 teachers and their families, through its fellowships, on overseas study trips since the trust's inception.

Celebrate the 2019 Laureates as they are admitted to the Business Hall of Fame at the annual black-tie gala dinner held at the Cordis, Auckland on August 15. Tickets available online at www.businesshalloffame.co.nz