Jun 4, 2015 People
What is influence? Is it power, fame, money, mana? In coming up with our list, we realised it is more than any one of these things. Influence is the practice of making things happen.
Which is why John Key, despite his immense popularity, isn’t at the top of our list. For one thing, the few projects he has put his name to as prime minister have come to very little. New Zealand is not a financial services hub and we do not even have a connected up series of bikeways. For another, Key by his own admission does little except what the polls tell him he should do. That’s the opposite of influential. Yes, John Key is influential: he’s kept his party in power through three elections. But we think three other Aucklanders make a bigger impact on this city…
1. Stephen Tindall, business
2. Lorde, music
3. Nigel Morrison, business
4. John Key, politics
5. Steven Joyce, politics
6. Stephen Town, council
7. Peter Cooper, development
8. Joan Withers, business
9. Lynda Reid, education
10. Al Brown, food
11. Jane Hastings, media
12. Paul Majurey, business
13. Martin Snedden, events
14. John Dalzell, council
15. Mike Hosking, media
16. Julie Christie, media
17. Dayle Mace, philanthropy
18. Michael Stiassny, business
19. Shayne Currie, media
20. Peter Thompson, real estate
21. Rachel Glucina, media
22. Libby Weaver, health
23. David Warburton, council
24. Ngarimu Blair, Ngati Whatua
25. Karen Walker & Mikhail Gherman, fashion
26. Anne Salmond, anthropology
27. Adrian Orr, fund manager
28. Culum Manson, development
29. Mike Stanley, sports
30. Stefan Sinclair, tattooist
31. Len Brown, politics
32. Adam Holt, music
33. Jenny Gibbs, philanthropy
34. Stuart McCutcheon, education
35. Jacinda Ardern, politics
36. Lydia Ko, sport
37. Phil Goff, politics
38. Kelly Martin, media
39. Deborah Pead, PR
40. Phillip Mills, health
41. Millie Elder-Holmes, blogger
42. Patrick Dunn, religion
43. Ludo Campbell-Reid, council
44. Sudhvir Singh, activist
45. Sido Kitchin, media
46. Winston Peters, politics
47. Penny Hulse, politics
48. Annabel Langbein, food
49. Mike Treen, unionist
50. Steve Donohue, retail
The Auckland Influentials issue is on sale now.
