Our patron - A 'hands-on' philanthropist

Sir Roy McKenzie's contribution to philanthropy in New Zealand has been immense. He has maintained and enhanced his family's long history of creative giving.

It began with Sir Roy's father John McKenzie, founder of the McKenzies department stores. He established the JR McKenzie Trust in which he placed one third of the company's profit for the benefit of all New Zealanders.

Following in his father's footsteps, Sir Roy worked for the family business and was the Executive Director of McKenzies for 21 years. He then turned his attention to full-time philanthropy.

The JR McKenzie Trust is one of the leading philanthropic organisations in New Zealand. It has supported the establishment and ongoing operation of many community groups.

Sir Roy substantially increased the Trust's funds. He also set up two other grant making bodies - the McKenzie Education Foundation and the Roy McKenzie Foundation - both of which are renowned for their innovative approaches to supporting community endeavour.

Sir Roy is distinguished for his efforts and contributions to the community, especially with his 'hands-on' attitude. A feature of his work has been the number of organisations that he was a major help in establishing and putting on a sound basis.

Some of the organisations are now household names - these include Outward Bound Trust Foundation, New Zealand Council for Educational Research, Birthright, and Te Omanga Hospice.

Sir Roy was consistently  grounded and practical in his advice and he  always enjoyed providing personal assistance to people.

He initiated Philanthropy New Zealand in 1990, regularly bringing together a wide range of trusts and groups to talk about the process and business of giving. He is our patron. He has received many awards in recognition of his philanthropy, including the Order of New Zealand, the country's highest honour.

Sir Roy died in August 2007. He is survived by his wife Lady Shirley McKenzie and there three children - Peter, John, and Robyn - and nine grandchildren. All of their children have served on McKenzie family philanthropic bodies and one is currently a trustee of the JR McKenzie Trust.