Honour for early Otago business man

Sir John Roberts (right) and son George at a Dunedin A&P show in 1902. Photo by ODT.
Sir John Roberts (right) and son George at a Dunedin A&P show in 1902. Photo by ODT.
One of Otago's highest achievers, Sir John Roberts, was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame 2016 last night at a function in Auckland.

Although born in the mid-19th century and hardly a household name any more, Sir John appears to have been a true entrepreneur, innovator, speculator and business pioneer of that era.

He joined seven other more contemporary business people as inductees last night.

Some of the other leading southern businessmen Sir John joins as previous inductees include Bob Hogan, Howard Paterson, Sir Eion Edgar, Sir Cliff Skeggs, Sir Tim Wallis, Graeme Marsh, Alfred Reed and James Fletcher.

Sir John's talents for diversification in pastoralism, manufacturing, agency work and speculation made him one of Otago's wealthiest and most influential men, and a partner in the country's second-largest wool exporter by 1900, according to a biography held by Toitu Otago Settlers Museum.

Born in Scotland in 1845 and arriving in Otago in 1868, after four years in Melbourne, Sir John established a stock and station business and later helped launch New Zealand's frozen meat trade.

Sir John's trading in wool, using capital from his father, enabled him to prosper, first by establishing a fellmongery, Murray, Roberts & Co. While not a great success, it put Sir John's company in a position to begin speculating in Otago wool and to invest in pastoral land.

By the late 1870s, it had established branches across the country and by 1900 it was the second-largest wool exporter.

He encouraged development of a wide range of Dunedin companies and was a founder of the Mosgiel Woollen Factory, in 1873, and the NZ Refrigerating Co, 1881.

Sir John held public roles including mayor of Dunedin in 1889, vice-chancellor of Otago University and was president of the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition.

He was knighted in 1891 for his contributions to business and community and in 1932 awarded the freedom of Selkirk.

Sir John married Louisa Kettle in 1870, the daughter of Dunedin's original surveyor and town planner, Charles Kettle, and they had five sons and four daughters surviving to adulthood.

Louisa, Lady Roberts, died in 1922 and, after Sir John's death in 1934, their 1890 mansion, Littlebourne House, was given to the City of Dunedin.

It was subsequently demolished and the grounds turned into playing fields, above the present site of Moana Pool.

● The other seven laureates inducted last night are film-maker Sir Peter Jackson, Mainfreight's founder Bruce Plested, environmental entrepreneur Sir Rob Fenwick, founder of New Zealand's rubber industry Ward Read, pioneer of New Zealand's modern engineering industry Malcom McConnell, Noel Holyoake, pioneer in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning industry and agri-businessman and former cabinet member Phillip Burdon.

Historical source: Toitu Otago Settlers Museum.

simon.hartley@odt.co.nz

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