Jim Wakefield: harness racing legend and philanthropist
Ab September 3, 1933 d November 27, 2020
lfred James Wakefield, known as Jim, was an extremely motivated and entrepreneurial man who never shied away from giving back to his community.
Former Harness Racing NZ chief executive Edward Rennell worked with Wakefield when he was chairman of the industry body, and said the Christchurch man’s contribution to harness racing and his community was immense.
‘‘His contribution was not only as an administrator but as a breeder and owner, and he was always very professional and had very high standards of integrity particularly within racing.’’
Wakefield was someone he admired, respected, and learnt a lot from, Rennell said. ‘‘Just the way he conducted himself – he was certainly very conscious of doing things right. He was a guy who respected tradition but also acknowledged there needed to be some change within the industry. We could do with another 10 Jim Wakefields. He is a huge loss to the racing industry.’’
The father of six died on November 27, 2020, aged 87. Wakefield was born to parents Wilfred and Christina Wakefield in Timaru on September 3, 1933.
Times were tough for Wakefield as he grew up during the Great Depression.
The unemployment rate was extremely high and wages had been slashed for those who did have a job.
Wakefield’s father, who owned a grocery store in Timaru, was one of the casualties of depression-era New Zealand.
His store failed, the family lost their home, and Wilfred was unemployed for a long time. He eventually got a job stamping letters at the local post office but the family struggled financially.
Although lacking in money, Wakefield was surrounded by a loving family. He attended Waimataitai School, where he was awarded dux, then Timaru Boys’ High School, where he enjoyed academic and sporting success.
He played a lot of golf, rugby and cricket, and became captain of the school’s top cricket team. Wakefield instituted an annual scholarship at Timaru Boys’ in 2000, which is awarded to a top student to help them study at the University of Canterbury.
His passion for sport continued after he left school. Wakefield and his younger brother, Russell, learnt boxing together and were coached by a former New Zealand champion. At university, Jim was awarded a blue and recognised as the school’s most scientific boxer.
In 1952, aged 18, Wakefield took up a job in Christchurch with accounting firm Pickles Perkins and Hadlee, and worked towards accounting qualifications at the University of Canterbury.
Four years later, Wakefield was offered a partnership in the firm on the condition that he move to Westport to run an accounting practice the firm had bought there. This was a remarkable achievement as it usually took at least 10 years to be offered a partnership. Wakefield moved to Westport with his wife, Pam Stevens, and stayed there for 14 years until 1970. The couple’s family grew during this time, with children Wendy, Steve, Sue and Pete all born on the West Coast. Wakefield also played for the Buller cricket team and advised a variety of businesses, from coal mines and dairy farms to trading companies.
Demonstrating his entrepreneurial flair, Wakefield purchased the Charming Creek Coal Company and set up Buller Industrial Investments to create and invest in promising businesses. The company, now called Wakefield Holdings Ltd, continues to operate.
Wakefield also formed Bridgevale Holdings Ltd, which was listed on the stock exchange in 1967 and was once the biggest transport operator on the West Coast with more than 100 trucks.
After the family moved back to Christchurch, Wakefield focused on serving Pickles Perkins and Hadlee’s bigger clients. He showed leadership in the local branch of the Society of Accountants, later becoming chairman and serving on the national council.
He also continued to show his entrepreneurial skills, establishing two publicly listed companies: Bridgevale Mining, and Coal and Energy. Wakefield left the accounting firm to focus all his energy on making those companies work.
He grew the coal mining business in Southland, flew to Texas and secured several oil exploration deals, and was involved in gold mining in Australia.
However, both businesses failed after allegedly being defrauded of a significant sum. This did not deter Wakefield and, in 1986, he moved to Auckland to start afresh. He started Avis Car Rental business and built it to become one of the largest leasing operations in Australasia.
Wakefield and his business partner later sold Avis for a multimillion-dollar sum.
In 1992, Wakefield married Susan Lojkine, a partner at the accountancy firm he had worked for in Christchurch.
He and Susan retired to Christchurch and built their dream home, Ravenscar House, in Scarborough in the early 1990s.
The pair loved art and filled the home with a variety of paintings and sculptures from notable Kiwi artists.
Ownership of the home and art collection was transferred to the charitable Ravenscar Trust in 1999 with a plan for it to be gifted to the city in the future. The 2011 Canterbury earthquakes destroyed the home but the collection was saved and put into storage.
A new plan was formed with the Christchurch City Council and Canterbury Museum to build a new house on the site of a car park at 152 Rolleston Ave. The Ravenscar House Museum was originally expected to cost $13 million and be completed by 2018 but design complications and the Covid-19 lockdown added another $3m to the construction price and delayed the opening. It is now expected to open about July or August this year.
Wakefield and Susan were also involved in harness racing together and had many winners trained by Cran Dalgety. Wakefield was a director and chairman of Harness Racing NZ from 1998 to 2010 and was the chairman of the NZ Racing Board from 1999 to 2003.
He was acknowledged for his services to the racing community in 2012 when he was named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Wakefield is survived by his wife Susan, daughters Wendy and Sue, stepdaughters Mary and Frances, sons Steve and Pete, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.