Philanthropist and Opera School fan

David W Mace ONZM PhD (Hon) FCANZ FCIS FHKSA. Photo / John Wansbrough

David Mace is a man of immense personal charm. His word is his bond.

This is a man who believes in people, a man who is happy to listen, a man who is inherently kind and a man of great faith.

During his years as a chartered accountant and former senior partner with Ernst & Young in Hong Kong, he was responsible for major corporate restructures and liquidations.

He was also a Commissioner with the United Nations Security Council Compensation Commission based in Geneva.

He is a former Grand Master and recently chairman of the philanthropic Freemasons Roskill Foundation and Advisory Board deputy chairman of the Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland.

And this is a man who believes implicitly in the New Zealand Opera School and is proud the Freemasons, approved by him initially, are providing the major funding for the school.
Visiting the school every year is one of his great pleasures, he said.

David comes to the school at Collegiate for three days just to listen to the students in their tutorials and to have "a chat with them ... see how they're getting on and how they are feeling.

"I love to hear them ... music is so intrinsic to our life and I find these young people a great joy."

Philanthropic ventures in the community are second nature to David.

"My mother instilled ethics in us from as young as I can remember. To help and understand your community is important. Caring for others is important."

And his years in Freemasonry are a direct legacy from his father, his uncles and his grandfather.

He is currently at the helm of setting up a national centre for Women's Health at Victoria University in Wellington.

"Maori and Polynesian women's health needs more research and that's what this centre is about."

Helping is what matters in this life, he says, and being at the Opera School is a great joy.
"Those young people are all wonderful and I make sure I tell them. We all need to hear positive words: it's what helps us thrive and do well."