Accolades pour in for Craig Norgate

Craig Norgate was chief executive of Fonterra from 2001 to 2003 and afterwards headed PGG Wrightson for six years. Photo / Richard Robinson

Accolades for Craig Norgate - one of the key figures involved in the formation of Fonterra - rolled in yesterday from the rural and corporate sectors after the high-flying executive died suddenly in London.

Norgate, 50, was in London with his wife Jane, son Jordan and daughter Alexandria when he died. He was understood to have been looking for opportunities in the UK.

Former Fonterra chairman Sir Henry van der Heyden, who with Norgate was intimately involved in forming what was to become New Zealand's biggest company, spoke of his energy and vision.

They were instrumental in seeing through the merger of Kiwi Dairy and NZ Dairy Group and then integrating it with the New Zealand Dairy Board in 2001.

Before Fonterra, van der Heyden was chairman of NZ Dairy Group and Norgate was chief executive of Kiwi. They were both directors of the Dairy Board.

"Coming from the two legacy manufacturing companies, we both shared a vision of bringing the industry together," said van der Heyden. "We strongly believed that it was in the best interests of the dairy industry, dairy farmers and New Zealand Inc, and we strongly believed that it would put us in a position of competitive advantage globally.

"It sounds easy now - bringing together three very large entities - two big manufacturing companies and then integrating the NZ Dairy Board - but Craig led that from a management perspective with energy, focus and commitment."

Norgate went on to become Fonterra's first chief executive but left the company in 2003.

Listen to Sir Colin Meads pay tribute to Craig Norgate on The Farming Show today:

He launched Rural Portfolio Investments in the same year, which later acquired a 19.2 per cent stake in Wrightson. Norgate was later instrumental in merging Wrightson, Williams & Kettle and Pyne Gould Guinness in 2005.

In 2008, Norgate came close to merging PGG Wrightson with the country's biggest meat processor Silver Fern Farms but the global financial crisis intervened and the deal failed at the final hurdle. PGG Wrightson chief executive Mark Dewdney said Norgate was one of the industry's leading visionaries.

In 2005, Norgate won the Herald Business Leader of the Year award and in 2008 received the World Class New Zealander award, from Kea NZ, for business and finance.

DairyNZ chairman John Luxton and chief executive Tim Mackle acknowledged the important part Norgate played in setting the direction of the industry.

Mackle, who worked with Norgate as his assistant during the start-up of Fonterra, said: "His brain was like a super-computer; you brought him a spreadsheet and he could spot any anomalies or key numbers in a matter of seconds.

"He was also a character and very much a Kiwi bloke who loved his family, friends, rugby and Taranaki - in that order."

Norgate was chief executive of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants from the end of 2012 for a year before leading a merger of that body with the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia.

Former Telecom chief executive Theresa Gattung said Norgate was a visionary.

"He was inspirational, clever and energetic," she said. "He loved this country and New Zealand is the poorer for his passing."

Lifetime of achievement

1965: Born, Hawera.

1983-85: Massey University, Bachelor of Business Studies, Accounting and Finance.

1985: Maori Affairs Department.

1987: Lowe Walker.

1988: Lactose Company.

1991: Joins Kiwi Co-operative Dairies.

1994: Chief executive, Kiwi Co-operative Dairies.

2001: Chief executive, Fonterra.

2003: Sets up Rural Portfolio Investments.

2004: Takeover of Wrightson.

2005: Takeover of Williams & Kettle.

2005: Merger with Pyne Gould Guinness to form PGG Wrightson.

2007: Chairman PGG Wrightson.

2007: Float of NZ Farming Systems Uruguay.

2012: Chief executive of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants.

2013: Leads merger creating the Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand.

2015: April. Finished role at Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand.