If I were asked to compare Sir Stephen Tindall to anything on the globe, it would have to be the majestic king of the ocean, the Blue Whale.
A powerful and influential creature that knows its own mind and rarely breaks tradition or habit; with a sterling brute force when required and yet, remarkably graceful, shy and fiercely loyal.
Greeted with a broad boyish smile (and not the huge bellowing grin of a Blue Whale) and the firm, confident handshake of an experienced leader who has done this a hundred times; this giant of man feels like safe pair of hands and as I soon discovered a pleasure to interview.
Energy fizzes and crackles around Sir Stephen - his presence magnetising the air. His calm exterior melting away when he discusses The Tindall Foundation and some of the community projects and pioneering Kiwi initiatives he is involved with.
As Kiwibank’s New Zealander of the Year, most people will recognise Sir Stephen as the founder of The Warehouse and co-founder of The Tindall Foundation, a recognisable media face that has left a positively permanent impression on NZ. However, few will know the man behind the scenes and his driving force to “support a stronger New Zealand.”
With gusto and brutal honesty, Sir Stephen goes onto explain that as The Warehouse grew, so did his awareness of mass consumerism and the impact its heaving weight was placing onto us globally.
“I realised pretty early on that we needed to get better at considering the impact our increasing waste culture was having, so we got involved with sustainability pretty early and we are working really hard to see what the future can look like with zero waste and how we can get there, ” he said.
This sustainability fits hand in glove the programme of work carried out by The Tindall Foundation and other initiatives, aimed at making things a little bit better for Kiwis.
“We’ve got a good thing at the foundation - we’re funding community visions and supporting the underprivileged; but the goal is to help them create their own future, instead of being beneficiaries. The community is also about the environment and where we want to live – planting trees and looking at the long term benefits of this, is also as hugely important as the here and now.”
With his start-up knowledge energising his enthusiasm and sustainability and grass-roots in mind, Sir Stephen founded K1W1 an initiative that supports 120 organisations in building, creating and investing in solutions to positively transform New Zealand.
From an outsiders perspective K1W1appears to be a complimentary flip-side to the community focused tapestry built by the foundation and another arsenal Sir Stephen can utilise as part of his vision to support the developing space of R&D, innovation and technology in the country.
An example of this is Rocket Lab (founded by fellow New Zealander of the Year category winner Sir Peter Beck, Innovator of the Year), a start-up leading New Zealand as one of the only countries in the world funding its own exploration into space, without relying on government funding. With feet planted firmly back on the ground, another project is KEA, a global network of Kiwi expats leading the charge in inspirational change around the globe.
With more than 25 years in the industry, Sir Stephen is proud to champion other outstanding Kiwi businesses and names Air New Zealand as his favourite.
“I hugely admire Air New Zealand, they’ve had their ups and downs and they turned a corner which changed the way airlines are viewed – they really are riding high.”
(At this point Sir Stephen did pause and chuckle as he realised he had thrown in a couple of cheeky puns).
He continued, “They’re an example of Kiwi ingenuity and innovation – they’re a global airline from our small country and with their creative safety videos, corporate partnerships and their coveted Airpoints scheme, they have changed the game.”
Sir Stephen also hailed Icebreaker as a great brand for NZ and the café and restaurant scene as an example of international excellence.
Speaking of food and getting to know the man behind the CEO, I asked Sir Stephen who he would invite to his ultimate Kiwi barbecue and what gastronomic delights would be on the fictional menu.
“A big barbecue would be great and I would have to take advantage of local produce– definitely a rack of lamb and we would have fish and lots of seafood; scallops are a favourite. Big fan of veggies too so we would have plenty of those.”
He added, “We also have a little pizza oven, so maybe we would have some pizza too.”
Sir Stephen pondered a while over his guest list and the outcome is modest and realistic *cheeky wink*;
“My family and friends would be top and then it would have to be current and former All Black players.”
Sir Stephen then leans back in his chair and considers his list very seriously and double checks that he can have whoever he wants as “it’s the Ultimate Kiwi barbecue, right?”
“In fact, the Kiwi cricket team and ex-Olympians and sailors, in fact just a lot of Kiwi sports people.”
It is this love of sports (his list includes, Pilates, swimming, rugby, cricket, the Olympics and more) that has helped keep Sir Stephen mentally and physically at the top of his game; with his foremost passions being swimming and sailing.
He reflected on his love of swimming, “I have been swimming since I was 12 and pretty regularly at Takapuna Beach and to this day I swim as often as I can. I also try and get out in my small boat and enjoy some sailing and I aim to exercise every day.”
With such a love of the ocean and respect for the environment, is it any wonder I now see Sir Stephen Tindall as the Blue Whale of our land.
To find out more about our New Zealand heroes and their incredible stories, plus how you can get involved in recognising the people in your community who deserve recognition, head to New Zealander of the Year.
