Ken Rintoul has been honoured for a lifetime of working for Northland in a plethora of business, governance and community roles. Photo / Supplied
Ken Rintoul has been honoured for a lifetime of working for Northland in a plethora of business, governance and community roles. Photo / Supplied
Kenneth Alan (Ken) Rintoul Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to governance and the community
A lifetime of working and advocating for Northland has been recognised today with Ken Rintoul made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Rintoul and his wife, Phyllis, established a civil engineering business in their home town of Ōkaihau in 1987, building it up into a major player in the construction industry in Northland and Auckland.
The family firm regularly beat big multinationals to secure contracts and was a winner in the Westpac Northland Business Excellence Awards in 2010 and 2013.
Alongside his business interests, Rintoul somehow found time for a plethora of directorships and community roles.
According to his citation, Rintoul was a member of the Northland Regional Transport Committee from 2010-13, when he was instrumental in getting a Mid North bus service trial off the ground.
He secured almost $1 million from the Northland Regional Council for the Pou Herenga Tai Twin Coast Cycle Trail, transforming it from struggling proposal to successful project, and led a significant shakeup of rural firefighting in Northland as the inaugural chairman of the Northern Rural Fire Authority.
At that time he helped reduce rural firefighting costs from $2 million-$3 million a year to $180,000.
He also helped create and chaired the Enlarged Rural Fire Organisation, and advised the newly formed Fire and Emergency NZ.
Ken Rintoul at home at Waihou Valley Estate, Ōkaihau. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Rintoul played a key role in the regional council funding application for the purchase of two commercial properties in Kawakawa, allowing the completion of the Hundertwasser-inspired Te Hononga centre and a town square.
He designed a business plan for Northland College's dairy farm and chaired the school's board of trustees.
He has also been a Top Energy trustee since 2015, overseeing growth of the company's assets from $367m to more than $700m, and is a trustee of Te Tai Tokerau Water Trust, which is building a series of reservoirs in the Mid North and Kaipara.
He was a strong Northland voice on the board of the NZ Transport Agency for two years, sometimes clashing with city-based board members over spending priorities.
Rintoul said he had enjoyed working for the people of Northland and felt honoured to receive today's award.
He acknowledged his wife for her unfaltering support, and everyone who had contributed and supported him during a lifetime of service.
