Hugh Green 1931 - 2012
Cattle Dealer, Entrepreneur & Philanthropist
After leaving school at age 12, Hugh Green worked as a cattle drover and dealer, which began his lifelong passion for cattle trading. At age 17, like many Irish people of this time, he left his hometown Donegal and country to make a better life for himself.
After a short time in Scotland and later England working on hydro schemes and railway construction, he sailed to Australia in 1950. There Hugh worked as a sugar cane cutter in Queensland, on a hydro scheme construction project in Tasmania and as a water main trenching contractor in Melbourne with Barney McCahill, a fellow young Donegal man he had met along the way.
“My real happiness is family, the farms, the cows and people. You come in with nothing and you go out with nothing, and you just need the bare essentials while you’re here. And that’s how I’ve lived my life.”
Hugh Green
When Australia found itself in an economic slump Hugh and Barney decided to return to Ireland via New Zealand and Canada. In New Zealand in 1952, having recruited a gang of Irishmen, the pair first secured contracting jobs in Wellington and then Auckland. The pair settled in Auckland and for the next 50 years managed a very successful business partnership known as Green & McCahill. Hugh looked after the business end including tendering for new work, while Barney focused on recruitment and control of the large labour force. From 2002 Hugh led his own businesses, renamed the Hugh Green Group.
Hugh's passion for cattle dealing and farming led to the strategic acquisition of farmland for the business, a commitment that started in the 1970’s.
Hugh received several awards and accolades both during his career and posthumously, recognising his untiring efforts to further his charitable and business interests. These endeavours continue today through the Hugh Green Foundation and the Hugh Green Group.
His memoirs, “The Story of an Irish Immigrant Who Never Left Home”, were published in 2011. Hugh died in 2012, aged 80, at his home in Mt Albert, Auckland where he lived for more than 50 years.
The touchstones of Hugh’s life were his strong Catholic faith, his love for his family and his devotion to both Ireland and New Zealand.
Hugh Green Foundation
A Legacy Beyond Business
Hugh’s philanthropic activities began in the 1960’s and were driven by his experiences of poverty during his childhood which lead him to establish the Hugh Green Charitable Trust in 1998, now known as the Hugh Green Foundation. The Foundation continues to provide generous support to groups working within the community in the areas of Medical Research and Innovation, Poverty Relief and Education, Community Development, Quality of Life and Emergency Response, serving as a legacy to Hugh’s lifelong commitment to supporting those less fortunate.
Explore the Hugh Green Group's commitment to community welfare and societal impact
Life & Legacy
Hugh Green
Born
1931
Raphoe, County Donegal, Ireland, the fifth child in a family of eight
Career
1953+
Established the successful contracting firm Green & McCahill, which eventually became the Hugh Green Group of today.
1998
Established the Hugh Green Foundation, serving as a legacy to Hugh’s lifelong commitment to supporting those less fortunate.
Family
1955+
Married to Moira Buckley, daughter of an Irish immigrant, for 57 years and raised five children
Honours
2006
Honorary Doctorate of Laws by the National University of Ireland
2007
Manukau Business Hall of Fame, for services to business & society
2011
Papal Knighthood, for outstanding contribution to New Zealand society and generous support of many charitable causes over many years.
Donegal Person of the Year
2012
Queen’s Service Medal for services to philanthropy, 2012
2013
New Zealand Business Hall of Fame, for services to business and society (posthumous)