Spouse(s) Joanne Morgan Role Economist Name Gareth Morgan | Website garethsworld.com | |
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Born 1953 Putaruru, New Zealand Occupation New Zealand economist, investment manager Books Appetite for Destruction: Food - The Good the Bad and the Fatal |
Head to head bryan bruce talks with gareth morgan
Gareth Huw Morgan (born 17 February 1953) is a New Zealand businessman, economist, investment manager, motor cycle adventurer, public commentator, philanthropist and a political party leader.
Contents
- Head to head bryan bruce talks with gareth morgan
- Full interview with gareth morgan the opportunities party top leader
- Biography
- Career and business
- Books and publishing
- UNICEF Projects
- The Kiwi Heroes Programme
- Environmental
- Politics
- References

Full interview with gareth morgan the opportunities party top leader
Biography

Morgan was born in Putaruru, New Zealand to Welsh migrants Roderic and Mary Morgan, the second of five children and the first to be born in New Zealand. He married Joanne Baird from Invercargill in 1975. They have four children: Samuel, Jessi, Floyd and Ruby. They also have four grandchildren.

From 1958 to 1970, Morgan attended school in Putaruru – Oraka Heights Primary and Putaruru High. He then attended Massey University for four years gaining a BA (Hons) in Economics. In 1982, he graduated from Victoria University with a PhD in economics.

Morgan and wife Joanne are intrepid motor cycle travellers. They have ridden every continent in the world on motor cycles, as part of their World by Bike expeditions. These trips are documented on their motorcycle travel website (http://www.worldbybike.com). Together they have written five motorcycle travel books which document their unique style of unsupported motorcycle long distance tours.

He is father of Sam Morgan (founder of TradeMe), and was an early TradeMe investor and director. When TradeMe sold to Fairfax Media, Gareth and his wife Joanne received NZ$50 million, which they donated to their charitable foundation, the Morgan Foundation which administers the Morgans' philanthropic work. Gareth and Jo Morgan are also UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors.
Career and business
Morgan worked for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand in the early 1980s, before founding economics forecasting company Infometrics Limited in 1983. That company became one of New Zealand's largest independent economics consultancy and forecasting businesses and for 18 years while under Morgan's leadership (until the end of the 1990s) maintained a regular national circuit of business and public speaking engagements focussed on raising the economics literacy of businesspeople and householders.
In 1984, he and business partner Andrew Gawith launched a twice weekly horse racing form guide, Bettor Informed, based on econometric modelling of all 7,500 gallopers on the New Zealand scene. The publication sought to identify the fair dividend for each horse and to instruct its readers when the odds being paid at the tote were a good return compared to the horse's actual chances of winning in that field. The publication was sold to Independent Newspapers Limited, owners of competitors Best Bets and Turf Digest.
In 2000, Gareth established Gareth Morgan Investments Limited (GMI), a personal investment portfolio management service, which has grown to be one of the largest private businesses of its type in New Zealand. When the New Zealand Government initiated KiwiSaver in 2007, Gareth Morgan KiwiSaver Limited (GMK) launched the Gareth Morgan KiwiSaver Scheme.
Morgan is well known for taking New Zealand's financial services industry to task for questionable ethics and abuse of investors. Over two decades he's been persistent in exposing and criticising the sector, challenging the financial sector to produce safer and more ethical products. Morgan and his wife Joanne were early investors in TradeMe, founded by his son Sam Morgan. They were paid NZ$50m for their shares when Fairfax Media bought Trade Me in 2006. When asked what they would do with so much money, Gareth famously retorted "Let's just give it away." They founded the Morgan Foundation, which administers their philanthropic work around the world.
Morgan was a member of the Government appointed Capital Markets Task Force (2008–2009) and the Tax Working Group (2009). He is the chair of the Motor Cycle Safety Levy Advisory Council, Patron of Wing 256 NZ Police Cadets, and was North & South's New Zealander of the Year in 2007.
In 2011, concerned that Wellington was about to lose its most iconic sports franchise, Gareth and six other Wellingtonians joined together to rescue the Wellington Phoenix, the only professional soccer team in New Zealand. The new owners have promised to run the club at a profit and to reinvest every dollar back into the club and the development of the game in Wellington and beyond.
Books and publishing
Morgan has instigated a series of public commentaries and books on issues of public interest. The purpose has been to raise awareness and encourage development of improved response to issues of public concern.
UNICEF Projects
Along with his wife Jo, Gareth Morgan has been a UNICEF NZ Ambassador and major donor since 2007 and has instigated a number of specific programmes in conjunction with UNICEF since that time. They include:
The Kiwi Heroes Programme
Since 2006 Gareth and Joanne have supported the work of a number of New Zealanders involved in significant foreign aid around the world. They include:
Environmental
Politics
Gareth Morgan announced in November 2016 that he would launch his own political party, The Opportunities Party (TOP), to contest the election in 2017. Beginning in January 2017, the party announced its policies on its website. On 24 May, the Party announced its first set of candidates including Geoff Simmons who was the party's chief of staff and is now the party's Deputy Leader. He is standing as a candidate for the Wellington Central electorate.