Latest news with #NZOpen
Otago Daily Times
19 hours ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Jewellery giant Sir Michael Hill dies
Sir Michael Hill. Photo: ODT files Sir Michael Hill, founder of Michael Hill Jewellers, has died at the age of 86. The company, which he founded in 1979, announced the entrepreneur and music lover died this morning at his home in Arrowtown. Sir Michael stepped down from his jewellery firm to undergo cancer treatment in April this year. He lived with his wife of 60 years, Christine, at The Hills golf resort, which co-hosts the NZ Open golf tournament, in Arrowtown. He opened his first store in Whangārei in 1979 aged 40, after spending nearly two decades working in his uncle's jewellery store. The chain now has 287 stores in New Zealand, Australia and Canada. Rob Fyfe, chairman of Michael Hill, said Sir Michael brought a deep sense of purpose to everything he pursued. He was knighted for his services to business and the arts in 2011. In 2019, Sir Michael told he had big dreams of becoming a classical concert violinist, but explained it 'didn't really work out'. 'My parents and uncle demanded I give up this folly and get a real job.' He established the internationally recognised Michael Hill International Violin Competition in 2001. - APL
Otago Daily Times
19 hours ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Sir Michael Hill dies, aged 86
Sir Michael Hill. Photo: ODT files Sir Michael Hill, founder of Michael Hill Jewellers, has died at the age of 86. The company, which he founded in 1979, announced the entrepreneur and music lover died this morning at his home in Arrowtown. Sir Michael stepped down from his jewellery firm to undergo cancer treatment in April this year. He lived with his wife of 60 years, Christine, at The Hills golf resort, which co-hosts the NZ Open golf tournament, in Arrowtown. He opened his first store in Whangārei in 1979 aged 40, after spending nearly two decades working in his uncle's jewellery store. The chain now has 287 stores in New Zealand, Australia and Canada. Rob Fyfe, chairman of Michael Hill, said Sir Michael brought a deep sense of purpose to everything to everything he pursued. He was knighted for his services to business and the arts in 2011. In 2019, Sir Michael told he had big dreams of becoming a classical concert violinist, but as he explains, it 'didn't really work out'. 'My parents and uncle demanded I give up this folly and get a real job.' He established the internationally recognised Michael Hill International Violin Competition in 2001. - APL
Otago Daily Times
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Golfer off to junior worlds
Golfer Ricky Kang, 17. PHOTO: PHILIP CHANDLER Selection for the New Zealand under-19 golf team for the Toyota Junior World Cup in Japan next month confirms Queenstowner Ricky Kang's steady rise up the ranks. The South Korea-born golfer, who turned 17 yesterday, is one of three boys chosen for the strong-looking team along with three girls. Ricky, whose sister, Sumin, 20, is on a four-year golf scholarship at Northern Arizona University, in the United States, has enjoyed some good results in recent months. He won the Southland strokeplay, was second in the Canterbury strokeplay and debuted for Otago. He was also part of the NZ squad who travelled across the Tasman to play the Aussie juniors. Ricky came close, too, to qualifying for this year's NZ Open at Arrowtown's Millbrook, where he's a member. "I was four-under playing a qualifier and I really needed to birdie the last [hole] and just missed out." At 910th in the world junior rankings, he's set some ambitious goals on his 'Ricky Kang's Supporters' Facebook page — he wants to win the US junior amateur champs before he turns 19, aims to play the PGA Tour and wants to represent NZ and medal at the Olympics. His coach of five years or so, Millbrook's Ben Gallie, applauds his goal-setting. "Those goals are really good just to keep you motivated on the lonely days out on the range. "He's getting better and better and he's starting to understand his own game, in particular, situational preparation." Everything's solid about his game, Gallie says, "and he's got good work ethic". Ricky, who was first taught by his dad, Moon, when he was five, came to Queenstown with his family in 2011. He used to play with Sumin, "and do bets really often". What he loves about the game is "it's challenging always". "Even in the good times you can always look for something better." Unlike his sister, Ricky's not looking to go the US college route, but instead wants to join the Korean Tour as a pro. His favourite NZ courses are Jack's Point, near where he lives, Invercargill's Otatara, Christchurch's Shirley and Waikato's Tieke Golf Estate, and his hero is Aussie Min Woo Lee. This week he has gone to Sydney for a month's prep ahead of the Toyota Junior World Cup in Nagoya from June 24-27. Meanwhile, his father is appealing for anyone who'd like to help sponsor his son, "because the training and tournament costs are quite a lot".
Otago Daily Times
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- Otago Daily Times
Car giveaway canned after 2000 tickets sold
No-one drove away with this spot prize - a Fraser Clubman Lotus 7 replica - at the inaugural Ayrburn Classic car show in Queenstown. PHOTO: SUPPLIED The man behind Queenstown's inaugural Ayrburn Classic car show says a promised car giveaway did not happen because ticket sales failed to reach a certain threshold. Every ticket buyer was to go into a draw to win a Fraser Clubman Lotus 7 replica, worth about $60,000 - and VIP ticket buyers got four entries. Ayrburn hospitality precinct developer Chris Meehan said ''there was a rider on the ticket that said we had to sell a certain number of tickets, and we didn't get to that number''. They sold just over 2000 tickets to the two-day late-March event, against a hoped-for 4000. He put that down to rain on the Sunday, although the event also clashed with a Porsche meeting in Hawke's Bay. However, feedback was still ''fantastic'', Mr Meehan said. To lessen the chance of rain, the 2026 classic - for which tickets go on sale today - will be held on February 20-22, the weekend before the NZ Open golf tournament at the neighbouring Millbrook Resort. ''We've already got very strong indications of support for next year, and it'll just be one of those things that get better and better.'' As for whether there will be a car giveaway, ''we're considering whether we jackpot the car to next year''.
Otago Daily Times
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- Otago Daily Times
Threshold not reached for car giveaway
No-one drove away with this spot prize - a Fraser Clubman Lotus 7 replica - at the inaugural Ayrburn Classic car show in Queenstown. PHOTO: SUPPLIED The man behind Queenstown's inaugural Ayrburn Classic car show says a promised car giveaway did not happen because ticket sales failed to reach a certain threshold. Every ticket buyer was to go into a draw to win a Fraser Clubman Lotus 7 replica, worth about $60,000 - and VIP ticket buyers got four entries. Ayrburn hospitality precinct developer Chris Meehan said ''there was a rider on the ticket that said we had to sell a certain number of tickets, and we didn't get to that number''. They sold just over 2000 tickets to the two-day late-March event, against a hoped-for 4000. He put that down to rain on the Sunday, although the event also clashed with a Porsche meeting in Hawke's Bay. However, feedback was still ''fantastic'', Mr Meehan said. To lessen the chance of rain, the 2026 classic - for which tickets go on sale today - will be held on February 20-22, the weekend before the NZ Open golf tournament at the neighbouring Millbrook Resort. ''We've already got very strong indications of support for next year, and it'll just be one of those things that get better and better.'' As for whether there will be a car giveaway, ''we're considering whether we jackpot the car to next year''.
