Sir Roy Allan McKenzie (7 November 1922 – 1 September 2007) was a New Zealand horse breeder and racer, and was well known for his philanthropy.

Biography

McKenzie was the son of Sir John McKenzie, who founded the McKenzies retail chain. He was born in Wellington but went to school at

Timaru Boys' High School Timaru Boys' High School (also known as TBHS), established in 1880, is a single sex state (public) secondary school located in the port city of Timaru, South Canterbury, New Zealand. TBHS caters for years 9 to 13 (ages 12 to 19 years). At th ...

and attended the University of Otago. During World War II he served in the

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeala ...

and the Royal Air Force as a bomb aimer. He married Shirley Howard in 1948, and they had three children together – Peter, John and Robyn. He was captain of the New Zealand ski team in the

1952 Winter Olympics The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 6. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 6. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Oslo 1952, was a winter multi-sport event held from 14 to 25 February 195 ...

, the first Winter Olympics that New Zealand entered; though as he was injured he did not compete. He worked as a chartered accountant after the war, and was the Executive Director of McKenzies (NZ) Ltd from 1949 to 1970. He also served as a director for several other companies. From 1955 he was the principal at the Roydon Lodge horse stud, and he bred, trained and raced many leading horses, including Roydon Glen, Sundon, Game Pride, Smooth Fella, Scottish Command, Jay Ar, Bonnie Frost, Captain Adios, Castleton's Pride and Garcon Roux. From 1947 to 1993, McKenzie was on the Board of the J R McKenzie Trust, which had been established by his father in 1940 to distribute a proportion of the profits from his businesses for the benefit of the people of New Zealand. For 23 years, McKenzie chaired the Trust. He set up two other grant-making bodies: the McKenzie Education Foundation and the Roy McKenzie Foundation. McKenzie was also patron of the Outward Bound Trust, and a councillor at the Council for Educational Research. In 1978 McKenzie helped found New Zealand's first

hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by ...

, Te Omanga. He also was a benefactor and founding patron of the Seabrook McKenzie Centre, which assists people with specific learning difficulties and their families. In 1990 he played a major role in setting up Philanthropy New Zealand, which was a regular meeting of charitable groups in New Zealand. In the

1989 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1989 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countries ...

, McKenzie was appointed a

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

, for services to education and the community. He was made a

Member of the Order of New Zealand The Order of New Zealand is the highest honour in the New Zealand royal honours system, created "to recognise outstanding service to the Crown and people of New Zealand in a civil or military capacity". It was instituted by royal warrant on 6 F ...

in the 1995 Queen's Birthday Honours, and Victoria University of Wellington and

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 ...

bestowed honorary doctorates upon him. A film about his life, ''Giving It All Away'', was made in 2004 and screened at the 2005 SXSW Film Festival.eFilmCritic.com Giving It All Away
/ref> McKenzie's son Peter was well known for his work in conservation.

Publications

* ''The Roydon Heritage''. 1978. The Roydon Lodge horse stud. * ''Footprints – Harnessing an Inheritance into a Legacy''. 1998. . Memoirs.

References

External links

New Zealand Herald obituaryObituary, ''The Daily Telegraph'', 21 September 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKenzie, Roy 1922 births 2007 deaths University of Otago alumni Members of the Order of New Zealand New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand male equestrians New Zealand racehorse owners and breeders New Zealand male alpine skiers New Zealand military personnel of World War II Royal New Zealand Air Force personnel New Zealand philanthropists People educated at Timaru Boys' High School People from Wellington City 20th-century New Zealand businesspeople 20th-century philanthropists

Biography

See also

Publications

References

External links