Bill Flower left school at 12 and helped generations of young people make the most of their opportunities.
When the idea to build a university in Hamilton was first mooted, Mr Flower was among the first to volunteer for a committee that was set up to raise funds for the Halls of Residence.
Bill and his wife Joan have funded undergraduate prizes in global and environmental economics at the University of Waikato and in 2010, they launched the Flower Doctoral Fellowship in Economics, which offers $30,000 a year over three years to a postgraduate student interested in New Zealand's agricultural future.
Mr Flower was awarded the University of Waikato medal recently by University of Waikato Vice-Chancellor Professor Roy Crawford. He attributed much of his philanthropic intent to the guidance and generous, warm-hearted nature of his wife.
"Behind every successful man, there is a hardworking, loyal woman," he said.