KEY POINTS:
Business columnist Brian Gaynor knows about some of the big economic changes of the past 20 years from first-hand experience.
He was the economics adviser to Prime Minister David Lange in the late 80s and has been the investment manager for Alan Gibbs.
He has been business columnist for the Herald since 1997 and is the executive director of Milford Asset Management.
"He's certainly an outstanding analyst," said Simon Botherway of Brook Asset Management. "He has a depth of knowledge of the history of companies and individuals and the ability to analyse accounts and financial information in a way that is unparalleled in business in New Zealand."
Gaynor said his knowledge came from 30 years of experience and a great filing system.
"I have a good memory and I do all my own filing. It's a case of knowing what is important to keep."
Working with David Lange as a business adviser when the Labour Government was selling off assets was an interesting position for him to be in.
"I have a huge amount of respect for David Lange," said Gaynor. "But the conflict between Lange and [Finance Minister Roger] Douglas was tearing the Government apart. As for good government, it was not New Zealand's best period, there was a lot of conflict over whether the assets should be sold or not sold."
Gaynor's career as a columnist evolved in the early 90s because he wanted to express his views on the companies takeover code.
He lobbied the Government, but the bill was put aside, so he wrote about it.
"I'm a believer that the pen is mightier than the sword," he said.
"Or it's at least better than sitting back and doing nothing about it."
A takeover code was finally established in July 2001 as the result of his lobbying.
Gaynor's day is spent studying and predicting the investment market around the world and dealing with his clients, explaining what he has done with their investments and why.
"It's a bit like being a weather forecaster," he said.
"You are predicting the future and you can never be correct all of the time. Events like September 11 or the Australian drought may seem obvious in retrospect, but at the time they were totally unpredictable."
Mr Botherway said it was not just Gaynor's skills that made him an aid to business, but his ability to communicate.
"Though he can be condescending, it's his ability to speak out that makes him an asset to New Zealand."
