Tributes are pouring in for veteran sharebroker, investment analyst, fund manager, and business writer Brian Gaynor after he died after a short illness.
Gaynor was the chief analyst and a partner at local sharebroking firm Jardens, while also the co-founder of investment Milford Asset Management, which has since grown to be one of the country's top KiwiSaver providers.
The New Zealand Shareholders' Association (NZSA) paid tribute to Gaynor, saying they were sad to hear about his death on Monday.
"Brian was a staunch supporter of NZSA, with a focus on 'doing the right thing' as it related to the rights of shareholders - values that resonate with the NZSA," NZSA chief executive Oliver Mander said.
"Brian's insight and mana will be missed by the investment community. His knowledge of New Zealand markets and their legacy was unparalleled. We have not just lost an NZSA member today, we have lost a staunch ally with a shared investment philosophy based on standing up for the rights of individual shareholders."
Gaynor was awarded the NZSA's Beacon Awards twice - in 2006 and again in 2020 - for his tenacity to create transparency for issues relevant to investors.
"As a provocateur against entrenched organisations and individuals, Gaynor was second to none. His informed, analytical, and logical views were not always universally popular, but usually absolutely correct," the association said.
Past chair of NZSA John Hawkins said New Zealand's lost a giant of the investing community.
"I was at a board meeting when the news was received. The reality of what we had just heard left us all slightly numb" Hawkins said.
"As a mentor, his advice that "sitting on the fence" on an issue or a governance principle was never an option was an important lesson for me. Brian didn't do wishy-washy, and it worked.
"More than anything, I admired Brian for his ability and willingness to treat both large corporate players and small retail shareholders as equally valuable to the financial ecosystem. He never lost that common touch even as he built Milford Asset into the hugely successful powerhouse it is today".
NZSA believes Gaynor's sense of fairness, maintained and nurtured over such a long period, will be his real legacy.
"We offer our sincere condolences to Brian's friends and family. NZSA shares your loss and grief," the association said.
Milford Asset Management also acknowledged Gaynor's death on Monday, saying their "deepest sympathies go out to Brian's family at this very sad time".
"His dedication and determination to providing New Zealanders with good financial education and information, investment funds and advice has endured, and will be part of his legacy for the company's over 170 staff and over 80,000 clients across New Zealand and Australia," Milford said in a statement.
"Brian was a driving force of both our organisation and our industry, and we will remember him as a leader, a mentor and a friend."
The NZX also paid tribute to Gaynor, describing him as a "titan" of New Zealand's capital markets.
"As one of the country's leading investment analysts, Brian was a titan of New Zealand's capital markets," said NZX chair James Miller.
"Brian would be one of most influential people in the 150-year history of New Zealand's capital markets and the NZX."
Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson also paid tribute to Gaynor at the post-Cabinet press conference on Monday.
"He's a person I met on a number on occasions ... He's going to be sorely missed."
