Alan Gibbs

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Alan Timothy Gibbs (born 1939) is a New Zealand-born businessman, entrepreneur and former public servant.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Gibbs was involved in manufacturing and investment banking, before overseeing the corporatisation of New Zealand's forestry sector as chair of the New Zealand Forestry Corporation during the Fourth Labour Government.[1][2]

Gibbs is a founding member and major funder of the ACT Party and has been a prominent advocate of free-market reform since the 1980s.[3][4]

He is the founder of Gibbs Amphibians, which produces amphibious vehicles.

Early life

Alan Gibbs was born in Christchurch, the son of Theodore Nisbet Gibbs and Elsie Gibbs.[5] His father was a businessman and active member of the National Party who chaired a Royal Commission on taxation for the First National Government.[6]

In 1963, after graduating from university, Gibbs was employed as Third Secretary in the New Zealand High Commission in London through his father's connection to future Prime Minister Keith Holyoake.[6] In 1965, Gibbs returned to New Zealand to work in the Prime Minister's department.[1]

New Zealand business career

From 1966 to 1970, with his brother Ian, Gibbs sought to produce New Zealand's first domestically produced car, the Anziel Nova.[4][7][6] In the 1970s, Gibbs worked in investment banking, establishing his own firm Gibbs Securities to advise on corporate transactions.[4] As a business person, Gibbs was involved in several high-profile investments and restructurings, including the acquisition of car dealership Tappenden Motors, the management buyout of Freightways, the privatisation of Telecom, and the founding of Sky TV.[4]

Public sector reform

In 1985, Gibbs was appointed to the Forestry Corporation Establishment Board, which established the New Zealand Forestry Corporation (NZFC), a state-owned enterprise, as part of the Rogernomics reforms.[1] Gibbs oversaw the NZFC during the corporatisation of New Zealand's forestry assets, which resulted in over 3,000 public sector forestry employees being made redundant in 1987.[2][8] In 1989, the Forestry Corporation's plantation forests were privatised.

Gibbs also advised the Fourth Labour Government on restructuring the public health and welfare systems.[9]

Political advocacy

As a university student, Gibbs was a self-described proponent of "market socialism", and started the New Left Club at Canterbury University.[10] However, he later adopted a neoliberal ideology after becoming more involved in business.[6]

During the Fourth Labour Government, Gibbs was an active member of the Business Roundtable and a strong supporter of Roger Douglas.[4] He established a New Zealand branch of libertarian think-tank the Centre for Independent Studies and was involved in the establishment of the ACT Party.[11]

In 2014, the New Zealand Herald reported that Gibbs gave $100,000 to the ACT Party each election year.[3] During a speech to the ACT Party conference that year, Gibbs advocated privatising all of New Zealand's schools, hospitals and roads.[3]

His daughter, Debbi Gibbs, is chairperson of the Atlas Network, a libertarian think tank.[12]

Art and sculpture collection at Gibbs Farm

Gibbs is an art collector, and since 1991 has created a Template:Convert sculpture park on his property at Gibbs Farm,[13][14] which is located on Kaipara Harbour on New Zealand's North Island.

Among the art works installed on The Farm are pieces by contemporary artists including Daniel Buren, Neil Dawson, Marijke de Goey, Andy Goldsworthy, Anish Kapoor, George Rickey, Richard Serra and Bernar Venet.[15][16]

File:UoC graduation April 2014 42.JPG
Gibbs receiving an honorary doctorate from University of Canterbury Chancellor John Wood in April 2014

Honours and awards

In 2018, Gibbs was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame.[17] He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Canterbury in 2014.[11]

References

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Books and media

External links

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  16. ↑ "The Farm" Template:Webarchive by Rob Garrett - retrieved 15 January 2015
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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