The tall Victorian shot a final round of 2 under 70 to win the event with a 10 under tally of 206, finishing four shots clear of Mike Clayton, with Wayne Grady giving Australia a one-two-three clean sweep, finishing one shot further back on 211.
Simon Owen was best of the New Zealanders on 214, finishing tied for fourth, while his younger brother Craig was the next best Kiwi on 220, just ahead of Sir Bob Charles (221) and Stuart Reese (222).
The tournament, the third richest in New Zealand, was sponsored by Japanese philanthropist Dr Haruhisa Handa, who has confirmed he will sponsor next year's event as well, with a minimum prize pot of $180,000.
The timing of the event is still be to confirmed, however.
Wayne Smith, of Vault Sports Management, which looks after Dr Handa's many golf commitments, said a date of early January, 2011, had been pencilled in but logistics were still to be straightened out.
What impact that new time slot would have on the newly-established southern swing of four senior events being held at Pegasus, Millbrook, Kelvin Heights and Dunedin is unclear, but Mr Smith did concede it might mean the Millbrook tournament may be a one-off.
Tournament director Greg Turner said the three-day event, which involved a two-day pro-am competition, had been tremendously successful.
The associated $70,000 Harry Handa Handicap event saw Simon Owen tie with veteran Australia Noel Ratcliffe, the pair winning $9975 each with a net score of 190.
