JOHN SAX

Executive Director

John Sax holds many titles and juggles many roles. John founded the Southpark Group of companies which now consists of around 60 companies for which he acts as their Executive Director. Southpark Corporation is one of Auckland’s largest industrial landowners and has been responsible for the re-development of sites such as the former Affco, Hellaby Works, Shortland Works, Taniwha Works, Pikes Point, Roscommon Quarries, Kensington Park housing project in Orewa and more recently, Waterloo Business Park in Christchurch. John is a promoter and champion of caring communities and in particular has a strong desire to make New Zealand a better place for all children. He has spent many years involved in child and youth development particularly in the lower socio-economic areas and as such, John founded and still chairs For the Sake of our Children Trust. At the heart of the Trust is the Vision, “to see a nation where every child is safe from harm; has a sense of belonging, of feeling loved and valued; has access to the basics to engage fully in life and realise their own unique potential”. John Sax is a visionary man, he dreams big and this is the very reason why he succeeds. It is from his boyhood dreams that John has created the internationally claimed Treetops Lodge and Estate set in a wilderness park in Rotorua. It may have taken some 30 years from that boyhood dream, but today John is extremely proud of having created an environment that he says reflects a virgin native forest with 800 year old giants that would humble even the very greatest. Once described by the NZ Life and Leisure magazine as “a man who clearly missed out on the ‘can’t’ gene”, John is always obliging to share his visions, his dreams and ultimate success.