Augusta Awardees

2018 Augusta Awardees 

THE HON LYNTON (LYN) STEVENS ‘60 QC, BA/LLB (HONS), BCL (OXFORD)

AGS 1960

Photo by James McCully

Lyn Stevens attended Auckland Grammar School from 1960 to 1964. He was a Prefect in 1964. He was on the Old Boys’ Association executive for a number of years and was the President in 1989.Justice Stevens graduated from Auckland University in 1970 and went on to obtain a Bachelor of Civil Law from Oxford University in 1972. He was a Crown prosecutor and partner in the firm of Meredith Connell & Co from 1975, leaving that firm to join Russell McVeagh McKenzie Bartleet & Co in 1980. Justice Stevens went to the Bar in 1992 and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1997. He was appointed to the Serious Fraud Office Panel of Prosecutors in 1990.

He has also lectured throughout his career at a number of New Zealand and overseas universities. Justice Stevens made significant contributions to the International Bar Association and was admitted as a barrister and solicitor in both the Australian Capital Territory and in New South Wales, and as a barrister in Samoa and Cook Islands.

Justice Stevens was a Judge of the High Court Judge 2006-10, Judge of the Court of Appeal 2010-16 and appointed chair of the Government inquiry into Havelock North drinking water contamination 2016-17.
He was a council member of the University of Auckland 1999-2011, Board member of the Auckland Racing Club 1995-2006 (including chairman 2003-06), and a member and chair of the New Zealand Advisory Council for the Anglican Church of Melanesia.

AGS 1973

Stephen Jacobi attended Auckland Grammar School from 1973 to 1977, receiving a University Scholarship in 1976 and 1977. He was a Prefect and Dux of the School in 1977. He attended the University of Auckland from 1978 to 1982.
He has broad experience in government, industry and trade development. He serves concurrently as Executive Director of the NZ International Business Forum and Managing Director of Jacobi Consulting Ltd.

Stephen has extensive diplomatic, trade and government experience including posts as Deputy High Commissioner in Ottawa, Assistant Trade Commissioner in Paris and adviser on trade and diplomatic issues with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Previously, Stephen served as Chief Executive of the New Zealand Forest Industries Council, a national pan-industry body representing the forestry and wood processing sector, the country’s third largest exporter. Stephen also ran the NZ US Council as Executive Director from 2005 to 2014.
In all these roles Stephen is a frequent media and public commentator on trade and economic development issues.

In 2013 Stephen was the recipient of a Fulbright award and spent three months undertaking research on US trade policy while resident at the Center for Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Studies at Georgetown University, Washington DC.
Stephen was appointed to the role of Executive Director of the NZ China Council in May 2016.
He is a former Chair and current Trustee of the Te Aute Trust Board, the proprietor of two iconic Maori Anglican secondary schools in Hawke’s Bay and operator of two farming businesses. From 2006-16 he chaired the St John’s College Trust Board. He was formerly Deputy Chair of Fulbright New Zealand, Chair of Napier Girls’ High School and a director of Anglican Care (Waiapu) Ltd.

RICHIE POULTON ’76 CNZM, MSc PGDipClPs (OTAGO) PHD (NSW)

AGS 1976

Richie Poulton attended Auckland Grammar School from 1976 to 1980. He was a Prefect in 1980 and in the 1980 1st Rugby XV and 1st Cricket XI, captaining the team in term three.Professor Richie Poulton is an influential social scientist in New Zealand and has served on many government, public and academic statutory bodies, and is a consultant internationally.

Professor Poulton’s major areas of research are mental health, nature-nurture interplay in the prediction of complex disorders, and psychosocial determinants of chronic physical disease. In 1995 he took up the position of Deputy Director of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit and later became Director in 2000. In 2007 he established and became a Co-Director of the National Centre for Lifecourse Research, a research centre based at the University of Otago in Dunedin, but with partners located at universities across New Zealand and around the world.

He has led the internationally renowned Dunedin multidisciplinary longitudinal birth cohort study since 2000. In 2014 he was appointed as part-time Chief Science Advisor to the Ministry of Social Development and in that role he has led much of the work advising government on social investment and was a member of the Rebstock committee reviewing Child, Youth and Family Services. In 2014 Professor Poulton was named as a Highly Cited Researcher by Thomson-Reuters, one of only four New Zealanders to be so designated, and was listed in Thomson-Reuters ‘2014 World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds’.
He was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to science and health research in the 2017 Queen’s Birthday Honours.