Wally Yovich was heavily involved in many Northland businesses, community projects and Northland bowls. Photo / Michael Cunnin
Prominent Northland businessman and philanthropist Walter Yovich is being remembered as a man of deep conviction and generous spirit whose life brimmed with accomplishment.
Yovich, affectionately known as Wally, died last night aged 86.
His family announced his death, saying he had left an everlasting impression on them and Northland.
“Dad’s life spanned over half a century of service, business leadership and community devotion, and leaves behind a legacy that will continue to inspire those who knew him and those who benefit from his work,” son Paul Yovich said on behalf of his sisters Deana and Franica.
Yovich is survived by his children, their partners and his four grandchildren, plus Gary the dog, who Paul said his dad loved dropping food for.
Yovich was born in Whangārei and spent his lifetime giving back to the community he had always called home.
“Wally had a passion for Whangārei and Northland ... Beyond boardrooms and council chambers, Wally’s heart was rooted in the community,” Paul said.
“He championed and supported institutions whose benefits rippled beyond his lifetime.”
Paul listed some of his dad’s major achievements as being part of the Town Basin redevelopment, Kiwi North’s Kiwi House and The Whangārei Native Birds Recovery Centre and the Jim Carney Cancer Treatment Centre.
Yovich had donated $50,000 to help get the centre off the ground. His generosity joined a pool of community support that raised $3 million for the centre in four years, leading to its doors opening in 2014.
Today, the centre continues to make a difference with more than 45,000 treatments having been carried out there.
Maybe a lesser-known achievement, but one Yovich was most proud of, was his role as patron and financial backer of the Whangārei Quarry Gardens, which he helped establish in the early 1990s.
“Wally’s life can be embodied through one his passions – gardens,” Paul said.
“Before dawn he would walk quietly around his garden, inspecting his native seedlings, sometimes with a steaming cup of tea, often lost in thought about projects yet to come.”
In 1989, Yovich began the start of two consecutive terms on the Whangārei District Council as chairman of the finance committee. Under his watch council debt fell from $41m to $16m.
“At the same time, we did more [road] sealing than before and got the Town Basin going and we held the rates,” Yovich told the Northern Advocate in a 2016 interview.
Yovich had initiated Whangārei’s recycling levy and established one of the early recycling programmes in New Zealand.
Paul said his dad’s career in accounting, business and finance was distinguished by breadth and depth.
Yovich had dedicated more than 50 years to building a client portfolio that spanned commercial, manufacturing and agricultural enterprises.
Before he founded his accountancy, wealth management and investment advisory firm, Yovich had worked at Inland Revenue and for a time as a tax inspector while pursuing his professional qualifications.
His signature achievements included listing Michael Hill Jeweller on the public markets in 1987, helping float United Carriers and Marsden Maritime Holdings – then named Northland Port Corporation, directorships in publicly traded firms United Transport, Michael Hill International and roles in the Housing Corporation.
That nod was followed the same year by another top honour as he was awarded a Chartered Accountants ANZ Fellowship in recognition of his outstanding service to his profession and community.
Paul said though his dad was honoured by the accolades, he was very humble and reserved.
“His guiding philosophy was rooted in generation responsibility: to build not for himself alone but for grandchildren, the community and those who followed.”
Yovich would often say, “we only get to borrow this world for a time”.
Even his pastimes benefited from his powerhouse generosity.
The enthusiastic bowler served in multiple roles at the Kamo and Whangārei bowling clubs. He organised an annual indoor bowls tournament among Dalmatian (Croatian) clubs across the upper-Northland Island – a tradition Paul said he had nurtured.
“As a long-time member and officer of the Whangārei Dalmatian Club – formerly the Yugoslav Club – he was passionate about preserving and celebrating his heritage.”
Yovich had recently been on a mission to collect and document the stories and histories of Dalmatian families in Whangārei and nearby.
Paul said his dad had a keen memory for names and stories in a way that made people feel treasured and heard.
“Even in casual conversation he would recall a detail – ‘you once told me about that sheepdog at Ōakura’ or ‘I remember your sister’s first piano recital’.”
On a quieter level, Yovich had loved the outdoors.
“He relished the simple pleasures of gardening, walking in native bush and the companionship of friends and family over shared meals.”
Paul said those closest to his dad had known a different side from the widely regarded business and civic figure others knew him as.
Yovich had been humble, warm and ever curious.
He had stayed mentally keen in his final years when illness had made participation more difficult, Paul said.
Yovich would be remembered as more than his titles and projects.
“He embodied an ethos: that success is measured by how one uplifts others, how one invests in place, and how one weaves kindness into daily life,” Paul said.
“Though he has passed from our midst, his imprint remains in the gardens that bloom, in businesses he helped found, and in the hearts of all who knew his gentleness, determination, and integrity.
“That would be something Wally would say is missing in today’s society.”