Hamilton accountant Mike Hanaray was officially recognised as an unsung hero last month when he received a Meritorious Service Award from Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
CAANZ Gala Awards Dinner, The Atrium, Wintec, Hamilton. Photo: Stephen Barker
Now retired but busier than ever, Hanaray welcomed 10 new Waikato fellows during the ceremony, where his own honour drew warm applause.
Fellowships recognise chartered accountants for outstanding achievement and contributions to the profession, business, and wider community. The Meritorious Service Award acknowledges exceptional members who give their time and expertise back to the profession through mentorship and leadership. These recipients are often unsung.
The evening also celebrated new members and recognised milestones of 25, 40, and 50 years of service.
Hanaray, also a papal knight for his services to the Hamilton Catholic Diocese, was born in Lower Hutt in 1941 and all five of his siblings spent time in seminaries or religious institutes.
He became a chartered accountant in 1966 and a Fellow in 1996.
His contribution to Hamilton and the Waikato has been extensive since 1989 when he joined the Waikato committee.
Today he chairs the Waikato Fellowship Committee which includes undertaking ceremonial duties at the annual Waikato Gala celebration dinner, providing personalised speeches to each of the Fellowship recipients. He is a ‘go to’ for many accountants.
Hanaray worked in public practice for many years following his initial roles in audit, and then a number of years in commerce, primarily within the dairy industry, where he held senior accounting, finance and management positions.
New fellows, from left: John Adams, Rachel Balme, Ralph Blackburn, David Bluett, Perry Kendall, Sanjil Mistry, Peter Rogers, Lynette Perks, Brendon Stone, Matt White. Photo: Supplied.
Fellowships were presented at the night to:
John Adams is currently a director of KPMG Hamilton and has had more than 20 years’ experience in tax and trustee law advising on business structuring, trusts and companies, and specialising in the agribusiness, food retail and property sectors.
Rachel Balme is the director of Accountants NZ with offices in Hamilton and Taumarunui. She has 30 years’ experience as a chartered accountant, mentoring aspiring chartered accountants and is an active philanthropist supporting many community based charitable causes
Ralph Blackburn is the managing director of R and R Blackburn Consulting providing virtual chief financial officer/chief executive services to growing, small and medium-sized entities. He led major governance reforms in regional tennis as is chair of Eastlink Community Hub.
David Bluett is the director of DB Chartered Accountants which he founded in 2006. He is former chair and long-servicing board member of Hamilton City Netball Club where he led strategic planning, fund raising and board development for long-term community impact. He is also treasurer of Volunteering Waikato.
Perry Kendall is the financial controller at RD1, the farm source business unit of Fonterra. He is a committed volunteer of the Northern United Football Club and contributed to enhancing the club’s financial sustainability including relationships with granting bodies and sponsors and the diversity of its impact on the community.
Sanjil Mistry is the founder and managing director of Pragma Homes and is not only a chartered accountant but also of the New Zealand Law Society having studied law and accounting at Waikato University. He is a long standing supporter of many Hamilton services, schools and sporting organisations.
Lynette Pearks has had a distinguished career in tax, finance and governance associated with several leading firms and is currently a director of Braithwaite and Pearks providing chief financial officer and advisory services to Waikato businesses and organisation. She is a board member of Hospice Waikato Community Trust and was a board member of Waikato Diocesan School for Girls.
Peter Rogers has been a partner at Finn and Partners for 26 years. He has extensive experience in the education, health, and charitable sectors, with more than 40 years’ experience years in governance roles for medium sized companies, providing strategic and business advisory services, restructuring businesses and setting them up for success. He has held many directorships over the years.
Brendon Stone is Porter Group chief financial officer and held senior finance roles at Affco and KPMG in the Cook Islands. He is a board member of Capital Security Bank and a life member and board member of the Hamilton Suburbs Community Sports Club. He has been on the Waikato Volleyball Association since 2001 and chaired Hukanui Primary School board of trustees.
Matt White is a partner at PWC with international experience in Indonesia, Switzerland, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. He led the audit of one of PwC’s largest global clients while based in Switzerland bringing a strong commercial and global perspective to his work. He chairs the Cancer Society’s Waikato-Bay of Plenty division and is former deputy chair of Export NZ’s Waikato Advisory board.
Mike Hanary with his Meritorious Service Award. Photo: Stephen Barker
