Sir Dryden Thomas Spring (born 6 October 1939) is a New Zealand businessman, who was chairman of the

New Zealand Dairy Board The New Zealand Dairy Board (NZDB) was a statutory board in control of the export of all New Zealand dairy products from its formation in 1923 until 2001. It operated through a global network of marketing subsidiaries. In 2001, the Dairy Board wa ...

from 1989 to 1998, chairman of New Zealand Dairy Group from 1982 to 1987, and chairman of

ANZ New Zealand ANZ Bank New Zealand Limited (commonly referred to as ANZ) is a New Zealand banking and financial services company, which operates as a subsidiary of Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited of Australia. ANZ is one of New Zealand's big f ...

from 2007 to 2012.

Early life and family

Spring was born in Waitara on 6 October 1939 into a farming family, and was educated at

Matamata College Matamata College is a co-educational state secondary school located in Matamata, New Zealand. History The college was declared open on 11 February 1924 by the Minister for Education, James Parr. In July 2012, a student was killed by a t ...

. After leaving school, he worked various jobs and saved until he was able to buy a farm at

Walton Walton may refer to: People * Walton (given name) * Walton (surname) * Susana, Lady Walton (1926–2010), Argentine writer Places Canada * Walton, Nova Scotia, a community ** Walton River (Nova Scotia) *Walton, Ontario, a hamlet United Kingd ...

Waikato Waikato () is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, t ...

. He is married to Margaret, Lady Spring.

Career

Spring became president of the New Zealand Sharemilkers' Association in 1967, president of Waikato Federated Farmers in 1972, and a director of New Zealand Dairy Group in 1973. Spring was chairman of ANZ National Bank from April 2007 to June 2012, having formerly served as a director of the

National Bank of New Zealand The National Bank of New Zealand Limited (NBNZ), often referred to as The National Bank, was one of New Zealand's largest banks. Throughout much of its history, the National Bank provided commercial banking services to mainly major industrial and ...

Limited. Spring formerly held a number of directorships including: Nufarm Ltd; Maersk NZ Ltd; Affco Ltd; Fletcher Building Ltd; Sky City Entertainment Group Ltd; Port of Tauranga Ltd; and Northport Ltd. He was deputy chairman of Goodman Fielder Ltd; chairman of Ericcson NZ Ltd; chairman of Tenon Ltd; deputy chairman of Ports Of Auckland Ltd; and deputy chairman of the Rural Banking and Finance Corporation of New Zealand. He was also a member of the APEC Eminent Persons Group, which in 1993 drafted the APEC Vision of Free and Open Trade in the Asia Pacific; a member of the APEC Business Advisory Council; chairman of the Asia New Zealand Foundation; and a founding trustee of the New Zealand Business and Parliamentary Trust.

Honours and awards

In 1973, Spring was chosen as New Zealand's outstanding young man of the year by New Zealand Jaycees. In 2003, he was awarded the Holden Lifetime Achievement Award for service to the dairy industry. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand, a Life Member of Waikato Federated Farmers, and a Distinguished Fellow of Massey University Academy of Agriculture. He was appointed a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International in 2011, and 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 Enterpr ...

in 2013. Spring was awarded the

New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal The New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal was a commemorative medal awarded in New Zealand in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and was awarded to approximately 3,000 people. Background The New Zea ...

in 1990. In the

1994 Queen's Birthday Honours Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Queen's Official Birthday. Publication dates vary from year to year. Most are published in supplements to the ''London Gazette'' and many are formally conferred by the monarch (or ...

, he 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 t ...

, for services to the dairy industry. Spring has been conferred two honorary doctorates: by

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 o ...

in 2000 (

DSc DSC may refer to: Academia * Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) * District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India * Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Educational institutions * Dalton State Col ...

); and by the

University of Waikato The University of Waikato ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato), is a Public university, public research university in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand established in 1964. An additional campus is located in Tauranga. The university perfo ...

in 2014.

Margaret, Lady Spring, was awarded the

Queen's Service Medal The Queen's Service Medal is a medal awarded by the government of New Zealand to recognise and reward volunteer service to the community and also public service in elected or appointed public office. It was established in 1975 and is related to ...

in the

2017 New Year Honours The 2017 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours were awarded as part of the New Year celebrat ...

, for services to governance and health, having been active in health and community charities in

Matamata Matamata () is a town in Waikato, New Zealand. It is located near the base of the Kaimai Ranges, and is a thriving farming area known for Thoroughbred horse breeding and training pursuits. It is part of the Matamata-Piako District, which takes ...

for many years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spring, Dryden 1939 births Living people People from Waitara, New Zealand New Zealand businesspeople

Dryden '' John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the pe ...

New Zealand Knights Bachelor Businesspeople awarded knighthoods People educated at Matamata College