Sir Roy McKenzie

Sir Roy's Support

Following in his father's footsteps, Sir Roy McKenzie is distinguished for his efforts and contributions to the community, especially with his "hands-on" attitude.  A feature of his work has been the number of organisations which he has been a major help in establishing and putting on a sound basis.

Born in 1922, Roy attended Timaru Boys High School and Otago University, where he studied accountancy.  During the Second World War he served in the RNZAF and the RAF on Bomber Command.

In 1948 Sir Roy married Shirley Howard.  Sir Roy and Lady McKenzie have three children - Peter, John, and Robyn - and nine grandchildren.

In the same year he was registered as an Associate Chartered Accountant and commenced work for McKenzies (NZ) Ltd.  From 1949 to 1970 he was the Executive Director.  He also held a number of company directorships.

Sir Roy's contribution to philanthropy in New Zealand has been immense.  He was on the J R McKenzie Trust Board from 1947-93, and chaired it for 17 years; in addition he substantially increased the Trust's assets.  He also set up two other grant making bodies - the McKenzie Education Foundation and the Roy McKenzie Foundation, both of which were renowned for their innovative approaches to supporting community endeavour.   He served on the Deaf Decade Trust, the J R McKenzie Youth Education Fund and the Nga Manu Nature Reserve Trust.

He acknowledged the personal rewards he gained from his “community volunteering”.  One of his favourite quotes was from Winston Churchill: “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give”.

In his busy life Sir Roy also found the time for the recreational pursuits of skiing, photography, tennis, tramping, harness racing and breeding.   He was an active Rotarian.  He received many awards in recognition of his contributions, including the Order of New Zealand, Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Honorary Doctor of Literature at Massey University, and Honorary Doctor of Commerce at Victoria University.

Sadly, Sir Roy passed away in September 2007.