Sir Roderick Bignell Weir (14 July 1927 – 15 November 2021) was a New Zealand businessman.

Early life and family

Weir was born in

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

on 14 July 1927, the son of Clarice Mildred ( Bignell) and Cecil Alexander Weir. His younger sister is the organist

Dame Gillian Weir Dame Gillian Constance Weir (born 17 January 1941) is a New Zealand-British organist. Biography Weir was born in Martinborough, New Zealand, on 17 January 1941. Her parents were Clarice Mildred Foy ( Bignell) and Cecil Alexander Weir. She re ...

, and his brother (1929–2016) was the bookseller and businessman Graham Ashley Weir. He received his schooling at Wanganui Boys' College, now known as

Whanganui City College Whanganui City College is located in Ingestre Street, Whanganui. It became Wanganui City College in 1994. It was formerly the Wanganui Technical College established in 1911 and it became Wanganui Boys' College in 1964. Notable alumni *Peter Bel ...

. In 1952, Weir married Loys Agnes Wilson, and the couple had one child. After his wife's death in 1984, Weir married again in 1986, to Anna Jane Peacock, who as Anna MacFarlane had contested the Heretaunga electorate for the National Party at the 1984 general election, finishing in second place.

Business career

Weir worked for the

New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company provided investments and loans for trade and commerce in New Zealand and Australia. Notable people * James Beard, the 1889 New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Building architect * John Logan Cam ...

from 1943 to 1963, which in 1961 had become Dalgety & New Zealand Loan Ltd. In 1963, he set up his own stock and station agency branded as Rod Weir & Co. After the merger with other agencies, Crown Corp was formed and eventually, the company purchased the New Zealand interests of Dalgety NZ Ltd. Weir retired from this company as chief executive in 1985. He merged his business with Wrightson NMA in 1986. Weir has held a number of appointments. He was a consultant, appointed by the government, on the NZ Apple and Pear Marketing Board. He was chairman of the

ASEAN ASEAN ( , ), officially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, militar ...

/NZ Business Council, of Amuri Corporation Ltd, of McKechnie Pacific Ltd, and of Sherwood Mercantile Ltd. He was deputy chairman of Rangitira Ltd. He was the director of Sun Alliance Insurance Ltd, Sun Life Assurance Company Ltd, NZ Casing Company Ltd, Bain Clarkson Ltd, Crown Meats Ltd, and a number of other companies.

Other interests

Weir was a member of

The Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents col ...

Advisory Board. He was on the council of the Wellington Medical Research Foundation. He was a board member of the

Massey University Massey University ( mi, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa) is a university based in Palmerston North, New Zealand, with significant campuses in Albany and Wellington. Massey University has approximately 30,883 students, 13,796 of whom are extramural or ...

Agricultural Research Foundation. He chaired the Massey University Business and Property Trust. He was a trustee of the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, Medic Alert, and Wanganui Boys' College. He held appointments for committees of the National Party. Weir was appointed a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

in 1972.He served as the honorary consul general for Austria from 1976 to 1984. Weir died in

Waikanae Waikanae (, ) is a town on the Kapiti Coast, 60 kilometres north of the Wellington CBD. The name is a Māori word meaning "waters" (''wai'') "of the grey mullet". The town lies between Paraparaumu, eight kilometres to the southwest, and Ōtak ...

on 15 November 2021, aged 94.

Honours

Weir was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

, for services to farming, commerce, and the community, in the 1984 Queen's Birthday Honours. He was conferred with an honorary

Doctor of Science Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

degree by Massey University in 1993. In 2008, he was inducted into the

New Zealand Business Hall of Fame The New Zealand Business Hall of Fame is a figurative hall of fame dedicated to New Zealanders who have made a significant contribution to the economic and social development of New Zealand. The hall was established in 1994 by the Young Enterpri ...

for "stock and station leadership"; he was the 100th laureate.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weir, Rod 1927 births 2021 deaths Businesspeople awarded knighthoods New Zealand stock and station agents People from Palmerston North New Zealand Knights Bachelor People educated at Whanganui City College New Zealand chief executives New Zealand justices of the peace