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Sir James Fletcher, born 1914, has made an admirable contribution to the business industry and the community in New Zealand.
He became the Managing Director of Fletcher Construction and Fletcher Holdings Ltd in 1942 and remained in that position until 1979. He was Chairman until 1981, and under his leadership, Fletcher Holdings expanded into one of the country’s largest public companies. One of his more notable achievements was the forestry joint venture with the New Zealand Government in the 1950s to build the Tasman Pulp & Paper Co Ltd Mill at Kawerau.
In 1981, he merged Fletcher Holdings, Tasman Pulp Paper Co Ltd, and Challenge Corporation Ltd together to form Fletcher Challenge, which projected the family business into the international business market. Sir James has been Chairman of The Fletcher Challenge Trust (formerly Fletcher Challenge Charitable Trust) since its inception in 1991 and is a Trustee and Director of Business in the Community.
He has also served as Director and Chairman of a number of other companies, including BP ( New Zealand ), MARAC Finance, New Zealand United, Pacific Steel Ltd, and the Security Pacific Bank of Australia and New Zealand.
Sir James is active in the community as Vice President of the Auckland Division of the New Zealand Cancer Society, Patron of the Deafness Research Foundation, and he is also a Past President of the Auckland Racing Club.
Citation prepared 1997
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