15 minutes of fame
This month The Dominion Post has taken not to the streets but to the phones and the internet to ask people who might not normally feature in the media a series of random questions. Chris Parkin is an art collector, businessman and philanthropist, among many other things. He talks about procrastination (and doing it well), being a show-off, and Botticelli.
What is your very first memory?
A fox going through a field at the back of our house in England when I was 3 years old. I was born in Little Rissington, east of London. My father and I were standing in the garden area with stone walls all around; there was a field sloping upwards – it seemed large when I was three years old – and my father pointed it out.
What’s the best way to procrastinate?
I’m really good at that. First you’ve got to fundamentally believe in procrastination. Any decision you make, if you make before absolutely necessary, you’ll be making it without full information. The longer you delay, the better the job or the decision, because of the more information you have at hand.
At what age were you the happiest?
I think I’m probably the happiest I am now. But it might be because I’m getting a bit older and I don’t remember.
Who would you invite – dead or alive – for a private dinner (one person)? And why?
I’d probably invite my wife, Kathy. We’ve just had such tremendous times and I never tire of her company. We both like travelling, and having been in the hotel business for many years we both like luxurious hotels. We had a special occasion in the Soho Hotel in London – the restaurant was called Fuel – and I’d probably go back there.
If you could give your 16-year-old self one piece of advice, what would it be?
I think I’d probably give myself the advice the way I thought in those days – just go hard. Chance your arm, work hard, strive, follow your interests and dreams, look upwards – and don’t be too careful.
Would you give up flying to reduce carbon emissions? Elaborate.
No, I think it’s ridiculous. People who say that have no understanding of the big picture, don’t understand science or economics, and most wouldn’t be prepared themselves to suffer the outcome. No flights in New Zealand, no tourism over the next few months – let’s see what that does.
Petty criminals should be jailed or given home detention? Why?
Home detention. I think it’s generally accepted that jail is just a really good school for greater criminality. Jail also costs the community a hell of a lot of money.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
When I was a Wellington city councillor, I remember after making a few comments during a debate, one of the female councillors turned to me and said, ‘‘Stop showing off.’’ Later I thought, ‘‘Yip, I did just make a dick of myself.’’ And I’ve thought a lot about that since. I’m very conscious not to be a show-off.
What is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen, and why?
Botticelli’s Birth of Venus in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. In 1983, my then-wife Laurel and I were free camping in a campervan on the streets of Florence. It was my first visit to the Uffizi and it was fundamental to my appreciation of the visual arts.
Is it time to get rid of the haka before All Blacks tests?
No. One of the things as a white boy I realised in my more recent years is that New Zealand has a cultural heritage, but it doesn’t have much of a culture. The only unique culture we have is the Ma¯ori culture, and rather than, as for the last 150 years, try and absorb it until it disappears, it should be an intrinsic part of our culture.
We’re looking for subjects. Among all the coronavirus news, we want to bring you something lighthearted and fun to read, as well as to join in on. We have a list of 100 questions – you pick 10 and give us your answers. Nominate yourself or someone you know (with consent) by emailing capitalday@dompost.co.nz.