Author(s): Virginia Green

Biography/Memoir

Allan Hubbard is a man very much loved by thousands of South Islanders, but whose finance company Aorangi Securities is currently being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office. Despite this, thousands of passionate supporters marched in Timaru, flocked to defend him on the internet and some even complained to the Ombudsman. Well known for his generosity, his frugal lifestyle and his entrepreneurship, Hubbard is something of a folk hero and held in very high esteem.

This authorised biography tells his story by way of fascinating anecdotes - from his squalid childhood in the Depression as a child of alcoholic and abusive parents through to his successful businesses such as Mutual Group, Helicopters NZ, Scales Corporation and South Canterbury Finance. South Canterbury has been good to Allan and he has given back to the region on a grand scale, helping hundreds of young people onto farms, saving good farmers from bankruptcy and underwriting large-scale projects to bring water to the drought-prone region.
How did Allan fall from being the wealthiest man in the South Island to having no money for groceries after his assets were placed under statutory management? And how did the 'most trusted man in New Zealand' come under investigation from the Serious Fraud Office?
Whatever the outcome, this is a fascinating read about a Kiwi phenomenon. First publishwd August 2010.