Finny’s last hurrah
By Kate Pierson
‘This too shall pass’ is an apt expression for life. The transitory nature of our existence means events, situations, status and commitment will come and go, as pre-empted or organic change draws us into a new phase of experience.
After dedicating five and a half years to his current position, Charles Finny is in a process of transition, moving towards a new experience. Finny is the leader of a business body, an organisational umbrella that has helped its community of business minds weather the slowly easing economic storm.
He has been an integral part of providing an environment in which members of a strong business collective can congregate, brainstorm and collaborate on ‘way forward’ strategies. As the chief executive of the Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce, Finny and his associates have been the catalyst for institutional, social, political and infrastructural change.
On June 30, 2010, Finny’s role as chief executive of the chamber will come to an end. In light of the conclusion to his leadership, Finny is reflecting on his entrance to the chamber, as well as his involvement with nationally significant Wellington projects.
“At the time I took on the role as chief executive in January 2005, people had been worried that Wellington was going to lose head offices to Auckland and there were concerns the region would become a private sector wasteland,” he says.
“While some chief executives have left for Auckland throughout the past five years, it hasn’t been as devastating as people originally thought.” Why? “Because Wellington is Wellington,” he says with simple yet strong conviction.
“But moreso, because the resilience and skillset of our business managers has kept the region vibrant. The location of Wellington also means it can service New Zealand in areas that would not be logistically possible from a centre like Auckland.”
It’s evident Finny has a keen sense of what Wellington has to offer and on his professional journey, he has sought to make the destination more accessible to incoming tourist traffic. To boost productivity, he has helped establish a road of significance – the State Highway One Wellington Northern Corridor (Levin to Wellington Airport); an access route to key regional destinations including the airport, central business district and inter-island ferry terminals.
Finny has also provided the gusto behind winds of change – helping Wellington channel its windy weather in all the right directions, with the establishment of the Makara windfarm, aka Project West Wind.
Built on the rugged hills of Makara Dam and Terawhiti Station, Finny says of this project, “I saw this through from plan to build and it was a significant highlight for me given that it will continue to generate sustainable electricity for domestic Wellington. This project was a tough fight through the Environment Court.”
And with Finny’s concession that this project was not without its trials and tribulations, comes his admission that there has been many a challenge he has faced during his attempts to guide Wellington forward. “With pretty much every project we have worked on, there has been some staunch public opposition and a struggle – we have won more fights than we have lost though.”
It’s not about winning or losing in the literal sense that’s important to Finny though. It’s about progressing the district he has had an enduring professional relationship with during his five and a half years as chamber chief executive.
After June 30, 2010, the chapter closes on his chief executive story, but Finny will continue to work with the chamber through a transitional period, to facilitate the amalgamation of the chamber and Employers and Manufactures Association.
All good things come to an end as they say; but for Finny his interaction with Wellington businesses will be prolonged. Because while Finny is stepping down from the position of chief executive, it doesn’t mean he is stepping back from the Wellington business landscape. He still plans to maintain his connection with the chamber and will be actively involved in public policy issues. Needless to say, Finny’s business brain is still actively exploring the possibilities.
“There is lots of untapped potential in the government right now – intellectual property that is tied up in the government that could be commercialised. It may mean some government jobs need to be shed, but there is a huge opportunity to sell these government ideas to the world,” he says.
“Another constraint we face in Wellington, is not having enough top quality hotel beds. We need another five star hotel and we could also do with better international linkages. Because while our city offers an attractive proposition to tourists, we need to be able to service this demand with strong air and port linkages, as well as road and rail infrastructure.”
Finny believes council rates also need to be monitored so they don’t spike unnecessarily and for growth in productivity, there needs to be a more concentrated focus on education at tertiary levels and broadband fibre needs to be extended to the provincial areas
“I am enormously optimistic about New Zealand, but believe we really need to think about exporting as well,” he adds “Because with a market of only four million people in New Zealand, we we need to sell to the world if we are going to grow.”
His advice for businesses? “Key focused on the bottom life and pay off debt,” he says. And of his time at the chamber, Finny concludes, “I always had a good appreciation of the top end of business, but now I have a more detailed appreciation of SMEs, local government and infrastructure. It has been a really great thing interacting with members and with a range of small to medium business enterprises.
“I might be stepping down as chief executive, but people haven’t heard the end of me yet,” he says with a hint of a smile.”
