About John
John spent his formative years growing up in the rural back blocks of West Auckland with his 7 younger siblings. Despite struggling with dyslexia, he attained university honours.
As a teen John volunteered as a junior lifeguard to eventually become a Patrol Captain. After 30 years of active patrolling, instructing and competing, John was awarded honorary life member of the Bethells Beach Surf Lifesaving Patrol for outstanding service. Bethells Beach is a notoriously dangerous surf beach between Piha and Muriwai on Auckland’s rugged West coast.
John’s years at Bethells Beach have shaped an appreciation for the beauty and power of nature, the tenacity and fragility of life, of comradeship, and perseverance.
While a surf club member and with support of the club, John conceived, and developed a new competition surf canoe for the club. During the next 3 years, the crews paddling this canoe consistently won all the National open surf canoe titles. NZSLS 1980 National Championships (photo below) Kare Kare and Bethell’s Beach, 1st and 2nd respectively.
John has been a whole blood donor since secondary school and is now a member of the 125+ donations club. He is a presenter at secondary school careers evening promoting professional engineering as a career and a Engineering New Zealand mentor for young graduate engineers. He is enthusiastic about the positive impact future engineering development will have on society and on the natural environment.
John is a husband and proud father of four children: Katie, Ben, and twins Thomas and Matthew. Ben has followed in John’s footsteps and is a practicing professional engineer.
Interests:
A member of the Dyslexia Foundation of New Zealand
A member of the New Zealand Down Syndrome Association.
Auckland half marathon entrant and Auckland harbour ocean swimmer
Design and development of novel 3D printed mechanical prototypes
TED Talks –“The power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately the world”