Pair thrilled to be in hall of fame Horowhenua Mail 18 Oct 2012

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Written by Kelvin Teixeira And Randall Walker

Photo at left: Business Kapiti Horowhenua 2012 Hall of Fame Laureates George Sue, second left, and Bruce Mansell, with their wives Shirley Sue and Meg Mansell.

With a background in market gardening, combined with a strong community and charitable focus, Mr Sue was presented with his Hall of Fame Laureates award at the Electra Kapiti Horowhenua Business Awards in Levin on Friday night.

Paraparaumu's Coastlands shopping centre founder Bruce Mansell, who grew up in Levin was also inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Mr Sue said he was “humbled" by the honour.

I’ve lived in Levin for nearly 70 years and have had good times here and have been only too happy to contribute back to the community, in return for what it has given me," he said.

"You certainly don't expect anything for the things you do. It’s just to help the area grow and move onwards.

''To me this area is home and the place where we've brought up our family."

Born in Otaki in 1940, Mr Sue was schooled in Levin.

He said he felt he was not a student who could achieve academically and was more interested in land and animals, which led him to study horticulture.

He then had a long career in the market gardening industry, including starting his own vegetable growing business with his wife Shirley in 1967.

Mr Sue’s background in business and community organisations includes roles as president of the Horowhenua Growers Association for 15 years, a member of the Horowhenua Kapiti Business Development Board for 13 years including four as chairman of the JPs’ Association.

Coastlands chairman of directors Bruce Mansell said it was an honour to get the induction and it was due to a "team effort" reflecting Coastlands’ contribution to the community over the years.

Born in Bulls, Mr Mansell attended. Levin Primary School and Horowhenua College, and was a dux of the latter. He moved to Kapiti in1963, aged 25, and was among a group of businessmen who founded Coastlands in 1969.

"It was a really bold move to build a shopping mall in Paraparaumu, which only had about three or four thousand people, and the big advantage we had was the Saturday shopping which [only two other areas in New Zealand] had."

Paraparaumu was predominantly a holiday destination at the time.

“The first year the population here was about 4000 people and we had over three million people through the mall that year.”

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October 18, 2012