Talley knighted for services to business
Motueka-based businessman Peter Talley has been made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business and philanthropy.
Talley would not be interviewed but said in a short statement that he was unsure ‘‘what or how all this has happened’’.
He said he a ‘‘lucky and grateful’’ recipient of the Queen’s Birthday Honours award but said it was more about recognising what a family business had been able to achieve. ‘‘As a family we’ve been fortunate to work with some really passionate people in some exciting industries and have some fun and success along the way.’’
Talley is a joint managing director of Talley’s Group Limited, one of New Zealand’s largest producers of primary food goods.
Talley’s was founded by Ivan Talijancich, who immigrated from Yugoslavia to Motueka and opened a fish shop there in 1936 as well as buying a trawler. When he died in 1964, sons Peter and Michael took over. Over the next decades the company expanded from fisheries into vegetables, dairy, meat, aquaculture and hospitality as well as ice cream.
The National Business Review estimates the family’s wealth at about $300 million.
Talley has held various roles within the fishing industry including president of the New Zealand Fishing Industry Association and chairman of the Seafood Industry Policy council.
His award citation said he had worked over his lifetime to promote the employment of New Zealanders in the fishing industry, including attempting to place Foreign Charter Vessels under the control of New Zealand labour laws.
He was the instigator and a founding trustee of the Seafarers Trust. He supported a range of charities in New Zealand and is sponsor of a number of organisations and events.