The finalists come from a host of industries – including education, law, agriculture, arts, real estate, and tourism – but what unites them is their ability to get things done in the business world. Some of the finalists are quite well-known, such as Crimson Education’s Jamie Beaton (whose company is valued at $220 million, among his many other achievements), and lawyer Mai Chen (also an adjunct professor at the University of Auckland law school and a director on the BNZ board, as well as a finalist for New Zealander of the Year in 2014 and 2016, and chair of New Zealand Asian Leaders and the Superdiversity Centre for Law, Policy and Business).
Five category winners will be chosen to compete for the title. The winner will then get the chance to represent New Zealand at the World Entrepreneur of the Year in Monaco next June. No pressure.
The EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalists are:
• Jamie Beaton, Crimson Education
• Jamie Bennett and Patrick Broadbent, Snap Rentals
• Peter Cross, Dairyworks
• Thomas Dietz, WOOP
• Peter Harris, CBL Corporation
• Mark Hurley, Little Giant
• Will Lomax, Onguard Group
• Daniel Painter, Navigate Travel
• Hamish Pinkham, Rhythm and Vines Festival
• Andy Prow, RedShield Security
• Ihaka Rongonui, Turbo Staff
• Peter Shapiro, RedBull Powder Company
• Carey Smith, Ray White New Zealand
• Stewart Taylor, Tomoana Warehousing
• Peter Wei, Latitude Technologies
