This award recognises an engineer or partnership of engineers who have created or developed a new business opportunity through entrepreneurship.

Peter White-Robinson

Peter White-Robinson mortgaged everything he had to lead the management buyout of a Fitzroy subsidiary in 1991, and Fitzroy Engineering in 1992. Starting with very little, Peter made a commitment to growing the company. In 1991 Fitzroy Engineering Group Ltd was already one of New Zealand’s largest heavy fabrication and multidisciplinary engineering companies with a staff of 210 and a turnover of $20 million. The company now employs over 300 staff and has a turnover of $60 million.

In 1997 Peter launched Fitzroy Yachts, which relocated to brand new, high-tech facilities in 2000. The company employs 180 staff and produces luxury superyachts up to 50 metres, adding significantly to Fitzroy Engineering Group’s earnings, half of which come from overseas.

Peter has continued his entrepreneurial activity with the formation of VT Fitzroy Ltd, the partnership responsible for the Devonport Dockyard, and interests in plate profile cutters Fineline Services and Top Energy Ltd. He is a Director of the New Zealand Clean Energy Centre, which benefits from his interest in sustainable energy programmes.

A former Chairman of HERA (Heavy Engineering Research Association), Peter was a founding member of Engineering Taranaki Consortium, which aims to develop Taranaki as a centre for engineering excellence. In 2002 Peter was New Plymouth’s inaugural Business Person of the Year.

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