Legacy of a 'giant among giants'

Sir Ron Trotter was one of New Zealand's most prominent businessmen. Photo / John Sefton

Sir Ron Trotter was tough, rigorous and liked to win, says close friend and colleague Rod Deane.

"He was a giant of a man, he was tall and he had a formidable sense of presence and a big booming voice," Deane said.

"We travelled together a lot and I used to say to him on the planes when we'd sit together, I'd say, 'Ron they can all hear you'."

Plaudits flowed yesterday for Sir Ron, who was one of New Zealand's most prominent businessmen and died at the age of 82 after a long battle with cancer.

Prime Minister John Key said his achievements, including being founding chairman of the Business Roundtable, would leave a lasting legacy.

"His vision, determination and leadership were legendary," Key said.

Business Roundtable executive director Roger Kerr said it was a "passing of a giant among giants".

Business NZ chief executive Phil O'Reilly said Sir Ron would be sadly missed by the business community and that he had played a pivotal part in the modernisation of New Zealand's economic direction during the 1980s and after.

Milford Asset Management executive director Brian Gaynor said he admired Trotter but did not always agree with him, particularly the role of the Business Roundtable in opposing regulations to capital markets in 1990.

"He was clearly the dominant business person in New Zealand for a 15-year period," Gaynor said.

"It was a very exciting period because Fletcher Challenge was the dominant company and it was doing incredibly exciting things ... but in the end it didn't work because it had to be broken up," Gaynor said. "So you have to say that the dreams and ambitions that he had were not fulfilled."

Deane, a former Fletcher Challenge chairman, said Sir Ron was recognised as the leading figure in New Zealand business for 20 years by successive governments and worked closely with both Labour and National.

He was a leader of deregulation in the mid-1980s.

"Which today people are a bit dubious about but it really meant New Zealand became hugely more competitive and could actually survive in the world."

In 1987 the state-owned enterprises had been created and there was difficulty in getting a sale price between the Government and the electricity corporation, Deane said.

"He rang me at half past 10 and he said to me, 'The Treasury will be all in bed, you're going to come down and pick me up and we're going to go down to Parliament, we're going to find Sir Roger Douglas and Richard Prebble, and we're going to do the deal'."

Sir Ron reviewed the numbers by the light in the car.

"By 2 o'clock in the morning we had the deal done and we'd been negotiating for a year without succeeding."

Sir Ron was a great deal-maker but essentially a modest man who did not boast or seek honours, Deane said.

He had a great capacity for friendship, huge drive and energy, and was strongly commercial but had a real feeling for what New Zealand was all about.

"He had this egalitarianism about him. He was a New Zealander to his fingertips in the sense that he could mix with all walks of life."

Sir Ron had stayed at home for the last year or two despite all odds and complications, Deane said.

"The old bugger just wanted to keep on living forever, he didn't know how to give up."

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
* Chairman and MD, Wright Stephenson 1958-72.
* Chairman and MD, Challenge 1970-81.
* Chairman and CEO, Fletcher Challenge 1981-87 (chairman through to 1990).
* Knighted in 1985.
* Chaired the boards of Telecom and Toyota NZ.
* Director of the Reserve Bank and Air New Zealand.
* Founding chairman of the Business Roundtable.