Kingi Smiler has been inducted into the NZ Business Hall of Fame recognising his contribution to business in the country.
Smiler is the chairperson of Māori milk company Miraka, which sells more than $300m of dairy products around the world each year, and is also the chairman of Wairarapa Moana. He is the former chair of the Ahuwhenua Trust.
Of Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Aitanga a Māhaki, Rongowhakaata and Te Āti Awa descent, he has served as a director for various companies throughout his long career dating back to the 1970s when he became a chartered accountant.
He joins the Hall of Fame alongside fellow influential Māori businesspeople such as Pania Tyson-Nathan, Sir Ralph Norris, Sir Chris Mace and Mavis Mullins.
“Kingi was one of the driving forces behind the establishment of Miraka - the first dairy processing company to be powered by geothermal energy and which has one of the lowest manufacturing carbon emissions footprints in the world,” Miraka chief executive Karl Gradon says.
“An astute businessman, Kingi holds several directorships and is a former partner of Ernst &. Young. He is a highly regarded leader among Māori commercial and agribusinesses and all of us at Miraka are very proud of the recognition bestowed upon him by the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame.”