“I'm a passionate New Zealander, there’s no doubt about that, so I’m genuinely interested in the success of the country.”

That sentiment from Infratil founder Lloyd Morrison encapsulates the qualities found again and again when we sat down to put together our inaugural Influencers list.

Whenever the panel was faced with a choice, it always came back to a simple philosophy. Is this person successful, not only in their own sphere, but on a wider stage? In growing their own wealth, have they grown the economy? What have they given back?

Peter Jackson? Tick. The guy has given a massive boost to the country’s coffers in his determination to make Holly-wood blockbusters Down Under on his terms. The fact that the success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy turned him into one of the most powerful people in Hollywood is also hard to ignore.

How do you measure or define influence? Is it the number of boards a director sits on? Or the number of companies someone like Neville Jordan or Stephen Tindall invests in? Or just that they are great dealmakers like Graeme Hart. Or great dealmakers, extremely successful in business, and single-handedly putting New Zealand on the map in a particular sector. Peter Jackson, again.

Feel free to disagree. It was always going to be a subjective list but hopefully it will make you think. And hopefully it’s a balance to that ‘tall poppy’-knocking syndrome that has plagued New Zealand in the past.

Affluence means influence, wrote Jack London, the author behind such classics as Call of the Wild. That seems entirely appropriate when putting together a list of the country’s influential business people. We looked for wealth creators whose influence extended into the wider community.

As Morrison says, “New Zealand business people need to recognise that they can’t divorce themselves from the overall success of the country.”

So car magnate Colin Giltrap gets a tick due to his championing of the A1 Grand Prix series. John Barnett deserves to be there because, as CEO of South Pacific Pictures, he has not only created wealth and jobs but his vision ushered in a whole swag of films and television shows celebrating Kiwi culture; Shortland St, Whale Rider and Sione’s Wedding — they share the South Pacific Pictures imprimatur.

Sam Morgan is hugely influential as the young guy who pulled off this country’s largest new media deal, then turned around and began investing his profits in young, cool companies. He’s also a brilliant public speaker who pulls off the neat trick of being laconic, eloquent and modest, all at the same time. And he’s not afraid to say what he thinks. People sit up and listen when he speaks, despite his relative youth.

Reserve Bank governor Alan Bollard exerts huge influence on the country’s economy and therefore the success or otherwise of the business community. You could argue he should be on The Influencers list but we’ve dubbed him a paper shuffler, not an entrepreneurial wealth creator so off he goes to the ‘Paper sliders’ list.

Helen Clark’s chief of staff, Heather Simpson, is the power behind the throne but again, she’s a paper shuffler, not a wealth creator so off she heads to join Bollard.

The top 45 Influencers are people who have a strong drive to succeed but aren’t content just to then sit back and enjoy the BMW, bach and boat. There’s a consistency of passion about them, an entrepreneurial spirit that drives them.

Andy Hamilton, panel member and CEO of business incubator the Icehouse, talks about “the stretch” for people who create wealth in their own business and then go on to leverage the success of their brand in other areas.

“It’s the Colin Giltraps who have gone into the community and created sensational things and given back, like the A1 GP. It’s the Gary Paykels and Peter Maires, but then you have the first timers like Erica Crawford who haven’t yet done that but it’s the beginning of their cycle and hopefully they will,” Hamilton says.

“There’s nothing wrong with people who just focus in on their industry, and/or their business. But to me that stretch really shows the growth of those individuals and they move from being an operator to someone who can direct, coach, support, motivate and be a catalyst.”


The judging panel:
How do you decide on a list of the biggest influencers in the business community? That’s easy. You just ask the editor of this magazine because she usually has all the answers. But we thought a panel of top networkers might have a slightly more measured approach so we invited some deep thinkers, got them to send in their draft lists, whittled those down to a couple of hundred names, then got together around a table and banged heads long enough to get some kind of consensus. Actually, it was surprising how quickly our great minds came to similar conclusions.

ANDY HAMILTON: CEO of the Icehouse (the International Centre for Entrepreneurship) established by the University of Auckland Business School.

MIKE HUTCHESON: Unlimited columnist and former advertising boss who now helps companies take great ideas to market through his company, Lighthouse Ideas.

CAROL CAMPBELL: An Auckland accountant and business consultant who was formerly a partner at Ernst & Young and was award director for its annual Entrepreneur of the Year competition.

MURRAY CLEVERLEY: CEO of the Aoraki Development Trust and the South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. He was also an inaugural member of the government’s Small Business Advisory Group.

SANDRA LUKEY: Director of Shine Group, which works with local and offshore companies on marketing, communications, relationship development and business development. She was previously the marketing manager of SmartNet, New Zealand’s largest innovation network and she also helps Jenny Morel run the annual Morgo conference.

PETER TOWNSEND: Chief executive of the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce. He is also a fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management and the Institute of Directors, and is the Honorary Consul for Chile.

THE UNLIMITED TEAM: Publisher Julie Gill, editor Fiona Rotherham and deputy editor Mark Revington.