Alan Timothy Gibbs
Birth date1939 (age 87–88)
Birth placeChristchurch, New Zealand
OccupationBusinessman and former public servant
Alma materUniversity of Canterbury (B.A., 1961)
Victoria University of Wellington (M.A., Economics, 1962)
ParentsTheodore Nisbet Gibbs
Elsie Gibbs
SpouseJennifer Gore (Dame Jenny Gibbs)

Alan Timothy Gibbs (born 1939) is a New Zealand-born businessman, entrepreneur and former public servant.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Gibbs was involved in manufacturing and investment banking, before overseeing the corporatisation of New Zealand's forestry sector as chair of the New Zealand Forestry Corporation during the Fourth Labour Government.[1][2]

Gibbs is a founding member and major funder of the ACT Party and has been a prominent advocate of free-market reform since the 1980s.[3][4]

He is the founder of Gibbs Amphibians, which produces amphibious vehicles.

Early life

Alan Gibbs was born in Christchurch, the son of Theodore Nisbet Gibbs and Elsie Gibbs.[5] His father was a businessman and active member of the National Party who chaired a Royal Commission on taxation for the First National Government.[6]

In 1963, after graduating from university, Gibbs was employed as Third Secretary in the New Zealand High Commission in London through his father's connection to future Prime Minister Keith Holyoake.[6] In 1965, Gibbs returned to New Zealand to work in the Prime Minister's department.[1]

New Zealand business career

From 1966 to 1970, with his brother Ian, Gibbs sought to produce New Zealand's first domestically produced car, the Anziel Nova.[4][7][6] In the 1970s, Gibbs worked in investment banking, establishing his own firm Gibbs Securities to advise on corporate transactions.[4] As a business person, Gibbs was involved in several high-profile investments and restructurings, including the acquisition of car dealership Tappenden Motors, the management buyout of Freightways, the privatisation of Telecom, and the founding of Sky TV.[4]

Alan Gibbs as part of Tramco took part in a land grab in 1996, purchasing public land for $75m on Auckland's Viaduct, then overseeing its development maintaining land leasehold agreements.[8] The leasehold agreements are a source of ongoing controversy, as rents continue to increase 90%-134% every few years, and some leasehold agreements are in perpetuity.[9] Purchasing public land to privatise for ongoing rent extraction at unsustainable levels represents a challenge for its residents, while its land owners including Gibbs defend their "property rights".[10]

Public sector reform

In 1985, Gibbs was appointed to the Forestry Corporation Establishment Board, which established the New Zealand Forestry Corporation (NZFC), a state-owned enterprise, as part of the Rogernomics reforms.[1] Gibbs oversaw the NZFC during the corporatisation of New Zealand's forestry assets, which resulted in over 3,000 public sector forestry employees being made redundant in 1987.[2][11] In 1989, the Forestry Corporation's plantation forests were privatised.

Gibbs also advised the Fourth Labour Government on restructuring the public health and welfare systems.[12]

Political advocacy

As a university student, Gibbs was a self-described proponent of "market socialism", and started the New Left Club at Canterbury University.[13] However, he later adopted a neo-liberal ideology after becoming more involved in business.[6]

During the Fourth Labour Government, Gibbs was an active member of the Business Roundtable and a strong supporter of Roger Douglas.[4] He established a New Zealand branch of libertarian think-tank the Centre for Independent Studies and was involved in the establishment of the ACT Party.[14]

In 2014, the New Zealand Herald reported that Gibbs gave $100,000 to the ACT Party each election year.[3] During a speech to the ACT Party conference that year, Gibbs advocated privatising all of New Zealand's schools, hospitals and roads.[3]

His daughter, Debbi Gibbs, is chairperson of the Atlas Network, a libertarian think tank.[15]

Art and sculpture collection at Gibbs Farm

In 1991, Gibbs began building a sculpture park on the 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of land on Gibbs Farm.[16][17] The property is on Kaipara Harbour on New Zealand's North Island.

Today. Gibbs Farm includes works of art by Daniel Buren, Neil Dawson, Marijke de Goey, Andy Goldsworthy, Anish Kapoor, George Rickey, Richard Serra and Bernar Venet.[18][19]

Honours and awards

In 2018, Gibbs was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame.[20] He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Canterbury in 2014.[14]

References

  1. ^ Goldsmith, Paul (2012). Serious Fun: the life and times of Alan Gibbs. Auckland: Random House. ISBN 978-978-1-86979-2.
  2. ^ Berg, Peter (May 2013). "The events of 1987 Corporatising and privatising the state's forests". NZ Journal of Forestry. 58 (1)
  3. ^ "Go radical, Act Party told - New Zealand News" (in en-NZ). The New Zealand Herald. 2014-02-28. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  4. ^ "Featured NBR Listers 2024: Gibbs family" (in en-NZ). NBR | The Authority since 1970. 2024-06-25. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  5. ^ Goldsmith, Paul (2002). TN Gibbs. Auckland: David Ling.
  6. ^ "Gibbs reveals NZ Inc as it used to be" (in en-NZ). NBR | The Authority since 1970. 2012-08-11. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  7. ^ Wade, Harrison (2022-05-30). "Who are New Zealand's wealthiest automotive enthusiasts?". NZ Autocar. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  8. ^ "The Post". www.thepost.co.nz. Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  9. ^ Gibson, Anne. "Viaduct Harbour lease fee increases: Historic rises quantified" (in en-NZ). NZ Herald. Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  10. ^ Gibson, Anne. "Rich-listers win battle of waterfront" (in en-NZ). NZ Herald. Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  11. ^ Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "Government restructuring". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  12. ^ Samuel, Peter (1988-03-01). "New Zealand's New Zeal". Reason.com. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  13. ^ Eldred-Grigg, Stevan (1996). The rich: a New Zealand history. Auckland ; New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-025740-3.
  14. ^ "Alan Gibbs | Doctor of Engineering | University of Canterbury". www.canterbury.ac.nz. 2023-07-24. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  15. ^ Williams, David (2023-10-30). "Chiding in plain sight". Newsroom. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  16. ^ "Gibbs Farm official website". 2010. Archived 19 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  17. ^ Haseeb (4 August 2012). "Sculpture in the Gibbs Farm". VentureBees. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  18. ^ "The Incredible Sculptures of Gibbs Farm". 16 July 2012. Archived 19 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  19. ^ "The Farm" Archived 1 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine by Rob Garrett - retrieved 15 January 2015
  20. ^ "Past laureates". Business Hall of Fame. Archived 16 February 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 February 2023.

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