Sir Eion Sinclair Edgar (30 January 1945 – 14 June 2021) was a New Zealand businessman and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

. He was the chairman of Forsyth Barr Group, a major investment company based in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

, for 20 years until his retirement in 2018, and was

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

between 1999 and 2003.

Biography

Edgar was born and raised in Dunedin to parents George, an accountant and sharebroker, and Caroline Edgar. He was educated at Anderson's Bay Primary School and

John McGlashan College John McGlashan College is a state integrated boarding and day school for boys, located in the suburb of Maori Hill in Dunedin, New Zealand. The school currently caters for students from years 7 to 13, including 120 boarders and up to 30 interna ...

before attending the

. He graduated with a

Bachelor of Commerce A Bachelor of Commerce (abbreviated BComm or BCom; also, ''baccalaureates commercii'') is an undergraduate degree in business, usually awarded in Canada, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ireland, New Zealand, Ghana, South Africa, Myanmar, ...

degree in 1967 and completed his accounting professional qualifications the following year. He began working for Forsyth Barr in 1972. Edgar and his wife Jan moved to Queenstown in 1994. They had three sons. Edgar served as chancellor of the University of Otago from 1999 until 2003, and was awarded an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

in Law from the university. He was also a director of the

Reserve Bank of New Zealand The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ, mi, Te Pūtea Matua) is the central bank of New Zealand. It was established in 1934 and is constituted under the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act 1989. The governor of the Reserve Bank is responsible for N ...

, chairman of the New Zealand Stock Exchange, and president of the

New Zealand Olympic Committee The New Zealand Olympic Committee (before 1994, The ''New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association'') is both the National Olympic Committee and the Commonwealth Games Association in New Zealand responsible for selecting athletes to re ...

(he was given the title of honorary president for life upon his retirement from the post in 2009). He was also a trustee of the Arts Foundation of New Zealand and of the Halberg Disability Foundation. Edgar was chairman of numerous charitable trusts and organisations, including the Edgar Olympic Foundation, New Zealand Dementia Prevention Trust, and Winter Games NZ Charitable Trust. He was the official patron of Diabetes New Zealand, the

New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame The New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame is an organisation commemorating New Zealand's greatest sporting triumphs. It was inaugurated as part of the New Zealand sesquicentenary celebrations in 1990. Some 160 members have been inducted into the Hall o ...

and the New Zealand Football Foundation. He helped in the creation of the University of Otago's Edgar Diabetes and Obesity Research Centre, and also in the creation of the southern hemisphere's largest single-building indoor sports arena, Dunedin's

Edgar Centre The Edgar Centre is a large multi-purpose indoor sports venue in South Dunedin, New Zealand, on the shore of Otago Harbour close to Andersons Bay Inlet. It is the home venue of the Otago Nuggets basketball team, and an alternate venue for the ...

. He served as a chairman of Forsyth Barr for 20 years, stepping down in 2018. In that role, he was instrumental in the company's sponsorship of the

Forsyth Barr Stadium The Forsyth Barr Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand. At various stages of development it was also known as Dunedin Stadium or Awatea Street Stadium, or its non-commercial official name during the 2011 Rugby World Cup an ...

, Dunedin's main international sports complex. Edgar died in Queenstown on 14 June 2021, aged 76, having been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in late 2020.

Honours and awards

Edgar's business and philanthropic work has earned him numerous awards, including being named as 2004 NBR New Zealander of the Year, and induction 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 ...

in 2004. In the 1996 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a

Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for those ...

, for services to business management and the community, and he was promoted to

Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...

, for services to education, business and sport, in the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours. Following the restoration of titular honours by the New Zealand government in early 2009, Edgar accepted redesignation as a

Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

in the 2009 Special Honours, thereby adopting the appelation ''sir''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edgar, Eion 1945 births 2021 deaths Deaths from cancer in New Zealand Deaths from pancreatic cancer Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit Businesspeople from Dunedin People from Queenstown, New Zealand New Zealand sports executives and administrators University of Otago alumni New Zealand philanthropists People educated at John McGlashan College Chancellors of the University of Otago Businesspeople awarded knighthoods