NEXT benefactors, Annette and Neal Plowman, have always been generous. Their philanthropy pre-dates NEXT and has been a marker of their lives together.
In the early 1980’s Neal and Annette led the buy-out of Endeavour Services. Neal was the managing director and his family had a large stake in the business. It was at this time that Neal met Chris Liddell, the junior analyst on the initiative. Over the following decades, Chris became a close friend and worked alongside the family – supporting in the growth and eventual sale of the business, fund investment and their desire to give back.
The Plowmans wanted to make a difference for New Zealand, without personal credit and without having their lives impacted by publicity. For many years their generosity was kept under wraps, managed discreetly in a charitable trust. Trustees were asked to not disclose where the philanthropic gifting was coming from (although in time, with the increasing scale of the projects, this was to become necessary).
The Plowmans found a granting niche – catalytic projects requiring large amounts of capital, where governance and management support were required. Those involved had business skills they could contribute and this capacity building became an early point of difference.
Rotoroa Island was the first significant project in this regard and involved the long-term leasing of the island, establishing a trust, coming up with a conservation plan and implementing it. This signalled a shift in approach from the couple’s earlier granting, to being hands on in governance and management.
