New Year Honours: John Lee - Thinking outside the box key for Cardrona pioneer

Cardona ski area. Photo / Supplied

John Lee

• Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business and tourism.

The driving force behind the economic development of the Cardrona Valley, John Lee has today been appointed a companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to business and tourism.

Lee's involvement in the region spans more than three decades. Lee has built a portfolio of thriving businesses in the area including the Cardrona Alpine Resort, Snow Farm, and the Southern Hemisphere Proving Ground.

His career began as a farm operator as the owner of Waiorau Farm, but the unproductive snowy winters led Lee to think outside the box.

He set about turning the snow -- once the farming region's biggest liability -- into a viable business resource.

The following decades would see the region turned into the winter tourism hotspot it is now known as.

In 1970, he bought the Mt Cardrona Station and developed the Cardrona Ski Field, which opened in 1980 and for which he served as managing director until 1988. Additionally, Lee was the managing director of Snow Farm's Proving Ground from 1984 to 2004.

Lee's collection of successful businesses have hosted a wide range of international ski events, including the World Loppet series in 2014.

Through these businesses and other personal initiatives, Lee has contributed to the growth of tourism in the area and the development of stable mountain roadways.