PHOTO
Graham Malaghan, a part-time Queenstowner whose local links went back 164 years and who played a huge role in a world-leading medical research institute bearing his family name, has died in Auckland, aged 82.
His great-grand-uncle Michael Malaghan — after whom Malaghans Rd’s named — arrived in Queenstown from Ireland in 1862, becoming the town’s third mayor and proprietor of the Prince of Wales (Mountaineer) Hotel.
Graham was the son of Queenstown-born Len Malaghan, whose company Health Foods Ltd — later, General Foods Corporation — manufactured the famous Tip Top ice-cream brand.
He witnessed his mum, Ann, and Len gift 100,000 General Foods shares to seed what later became the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research.
After Len died of blood cancer in 1967, Ann contributed even more to the institute.
In 1966, Len had also donated $10,000 towards what became Queenstown’s former Malaghan Library, partly housed in an old stone building on the corner of Ballarat and Stanley Sts which had been saved by heritage campaigners.
Graham, who originally worked for General Foods, had a successful business career.
He was also chair of the Malaghan Institute for 33 years and turned it around after the 1987 sharemarket crash to honour his parents’ generosity and vision.
Made an Officer of the Order of Merit for his services to medical research and philanthropy, he was also made chair emeritus of the institute when he stepped down in 2023.
In recent months, Graham and his wife Dale also established the Malaghan Family Leadership Fund to support professional development for its senior leaders.
Meanwhile, the couple had a series of Queenstown holiday homes, latterly on Queenstown Hill.
He was a regular at the Wakatipu Senior Citizens’ Friday lunches — aptly in Malaghan House — and was a keen local library member.
Son Matthew says Queenstown was his ‘turangawaewae’ or place of special connection.
Longtime local friend Dave Marsh, a picture framer, says Graham and Dale became "true friends" after coming in as clients 25-plus years ago.
"Aside from being a true gentleman he was a very generous man.
"He was an absolute character, he had a pretty wickedly dry sense of humour, and I think that’s probably come from the Irish ancestry."
