Energy software trailblazer takes second run at entrepreneur prize

By Deborah Hill Cone

Friday 2nd August 2002

Peace Software founder Brian Peace is having a second go at winning the Ernst &Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Mr Peace was a category winner and finalist for the award in 1999 but lost out to Hynds Pipe Systems founder John Hynds.

Three years on Mr Peace is back in the running, being selected as one of 23 finalists for this year's award.

The 2000 winner was Seaworks founder and Business Roundtable vice-chairman Bill Day and last year's winner was Atlantis founder Michael Whittaker.

A former computer programmer and University of Auckland lecturer with an MPhil in information systems, Mr Peace set up his software company Peace, which specialises in systems for the energy industry, in 1987.

The category winners - young and master entrepreneurs and winners in the retail, property, service, manufacturing and communications categories - will be announced in two weeks.

Judges this year are retailer Michael Hill, music entrepreneur Murray Thom, fishing magnate Sir Clifford Skeggs, Knowledge Wave Trust head Bridget Wickham and Mr Whittaker.

The other finalists are:

Michael Chatterley of Ace Tourist Rentals;
Kieran Meyer, of Cock & Bull;
Simon Hakaraia, founder of dot.ink;
Waynne Dartnall, founder of EMS Global (also a finalist last year);
Bill Gallagher of pioneering Hamilton engineering firm Gallagher Group;
Stephen Collins of Harcourts;
Dick Hubbard, flamboyant founder of cereal company Hubbards Foods;
Jane Hunter, winemaker of Hunters Wines (also a finalist last year);
Glennie Oborn of Kindercare Learning Centre;
Andrew Turner of Nautech Electronics;
Scott Unsworth of Orca Performance Speedsuits;
David Tommas of PML Holdings;
Paul Young of Postie Plus;
Bernard Nolan of Pronto Group;
Roger Halliwell of RJ's Licorice;
Hamish Conway of Rock and Ice New Zealand;
Pat Galloway of Snell Packaging and Stationery;
Dean Eggers of Supreme Motor Group;
Tony Davies-Colley of TDC Sawmills;
Regan Wood and Angus Donald of the Sunglass Store;
Rod Jenden of Wet and Forget; and
Ian Cassels of What's New.

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