Year: 1962 - 1965
Occupation: Industrialist

Nick began working in a steel distribution company and was appointed to his first manager’s role at 19 and at 27 started Wellington Steel Ltd in 1976. By 1986 the Company had grown substantially through a combination of organic growth, acquisitions and mergers to become Acorn Pacific Corporation Ltd, a public unlisted company that operated on both sides of the Tasman. Steel & Tube acquired Acorn Pacific in August 1990 on the condition that Nick joined the Company as an Executive Director and to undertake the restructuring of the steel distribution operation which accounted for over 60% of group sales revenue. Nick was appointed soon after to the role of Chief Executive Officer of Steel & Tube Holdings Limited in July 1991 with the brief to restructure the Group which at that time included 25% ownership of New Zealand Steel, a motor vehicle importation, assembly and retailing company, mechanical engineering and fabrication, and steel distribution. Under Nick’s leadership, the Company successfully completed a major restructuring programme. This was achieved in a seamless manner and a strong Health & Safety culture was also developed resulting in the company obtaining world class safety results. Having been a CEO and Director of a NZX top 50 public Company for 18 years and running a SME for 14 years prior, Nick has gained significant experience in all aspects of business management and corporate governance. He is now giving some of his time to assist other organisations (large and small) in a non executive director capacity to improve company governance and to help them achieve their strategic, financial and business objectives.

Year: 1968 - 1971
Occupation: Journalist & Businessman

Paul began work as a reporter for The Evening Post and after stints as general reporter and on the Parliamentary Press Gallery he became Sports Editor in 1978 and by 1995 was Deputy Editor. With the advent of Wellington Newspapers Ltd/Fairfax Media, Paul moved more into the management side of the business and became Deputy Advertising and Circulation Manager in 1998, and after working as Assistant General Manager, Project Manager Fairfax Media, General Manager The Manawatu Standard he became General Manager of The Dominion Post and Fairfax Central Region in 2005 and holds that position today. Paul was New Zealand representative for the Thomas Jefferson journalism fellowship at the East-West Centre, Honolulu, Hawaii in 1989 and for the David Low Reuters Foundation journalism fellowship at Green College, University of Oxford, England in 1995. Paul is a member of the Newspaper Advertising Bureau sales Board and a current Member of the Advertising Standards Complaints Board. He has written two books: Centrecourt: A History of New Zealand Tennis, and Alle Fine Del Mondo (To the Ends of the Earth) – A history of Italian migration.

Year: 1965 - 1969
Occupation: New Zealand Disabled Sailor

When Jan attended WHS she was very involved in sports and won the Sportswoman prize/cup in 1968 and 1969 and was Head Girl in 1969. In 2000 she was diagnosed with a spinal condition that meant severe loss of mobility. A sailing simulator at the Auckland Spinal unit sparked her interest in sailing as she worked to regain strength. Her sailing potential was recognised and she was asked to join the team preparing for the Paralympics sailing a two person paraclass Skud 18 – a sailing skiff. Her sailing partner is helmsman Tim Dempsey. In 2010 Jan sailed in the: IFDS World Championships in Netherlands – was 9th in the Skud18 and qualified NZ for the London 2012 Paralympics. 2nd at the International Sail Sydney Regatta 4th World Cup Series Regatta at Melbourne In 2011, Jan won the NZ Access Nationals Regatta for Skud18 and was awarded the Kiwi Cup. In addition to sailing, Jan has had success in other sports, most recently she won the 1st Parafed Auckland Regionals (SH1 Prone) in air rifle shooting and in 2009 was 3rd in the NZ Indoor Archery Paralympics Nationals followed by 2nd Parafed Auckland Regionals last year. Jan also finds time to convene or be secretary for five different sporting bodies and received the 2010 Parafed Auckland Award for Outstanding Dedication to Sport.

Year: 1964 - 1968
Occupation: Scientist

Keith gained his PhD from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch and his first job was as a research scientist with MAF. Since 1977 he has worked with the CSIRO in Hobart as senior principal marine research scientist. In 2004 Keith was one of four laureates to receive the 2004 Japan Prize. He is the second New Zealander to receive this prestigious international award. The award, which includes a 50 million yen ($NZ728,000) cash prize, is made by the Science and Technology Foundation of Japan to “deepen the understanding of the role played by science and technology in furthering world peace and prosperity” and the world’s highest accolade for ecological research. He won the Japan Prize for research into food production based on ecosystem concepts. He established for the first time the importance of seabed habitats in determining the productivity of key species. He also demonstrated for the first time the potential impact of seabed trawling in changing the communities. Keith is also chairman of the technical advisory board of the London-based Marine Stewardship Council, which assesses the sustainability of fishery resources and gives an EcoLabel to fisheries that pass – including New Zealand hoki – so consumers can recognise sustainable seafood products. Recently Keith headed a research team to develop and apply the scientific basis for multiple-use planning and management of marine ecosystems in Australia’s exclusive economic zone which resulted in the declaration of large marine protected areas around Macquarie Island and off southern Tasmania.

Year: 1964 - 1967
Occupation: Singer

Known as Beaver , Beverly was a well known New Zealand singer. In 1971 her talents were discovered by Bruno Lawrence and she joined his band Blerta (Bruno Lawrence Electric Roadshow Travelling Apparition), a musical and theatrical co-operative,which travelled the country playing live gigs for several years, attracting thousands of fans. She later joined similar troupe Red Mole. Beaver was also an actress, starring in Skin Deep and playing alongside Hammond Gamble in Should I be Good. The song Should I be Good or Should I be Evil from the movie in which Gamble and Beaver dueted won film soundtrack of the year in the 1985 Recording Industry Association of New Zealand Awards. Beaver also sang on other Kiwi feature films including Came a Hot Friday and the theme song for the television drama Gloss. Her versatility as a singer, whether it was jazz, blues or rock, was highlighted when she performed at London jazz mecca Ronnie Scott’s. An album Live at Ronnie Scott’s was released, winning jazz recording of the year in 1988.