NZIOB Charitable Trust Luncheon with John Kirwan

Date:            Friday, 15 June 2018
Venue:          Mac’s Brewbar, Taranaki Street Wharf, Wellington
Time:           From 11:30am (for a 12pm start), to 2:30pm

The NZIOB Charitable Trust’s annual rugby themed fundraising event in Wellington, will occur on Friday the 15 of June 2018, the day before the France’s Les Bleus play the All Blacks at Westpac Stadium. The guest speaker for the event is All Black legend, Sir John Kirwan, known throughout New Zealand and the rugby world as JK.

This very special event will assist in raising funds for the NZIOB Charitable Trust, whose purpose is to establish and award scholarships/prizes, and to fund research and innovation that relates to the construction industry. Entries are open for the 2018 NZIOB Charitable Trust Awards, which offers two scholarships, each to the value of $10,000. For more information, please visit the NZIOB Awards page.

For those needing a refresher on John Kirwan’s rugby biography; he made his debut for the All Blacks against France in 1984, and went onto play 63 Tests before retiring from international rugby in 1994. Of the 35 tries JK scored in his Test career, two of the particularly memorable ones occurred during the 1987 World Cup campaign: the length of the field solo effort against Italy, and the crucial try against the French in the final, the latter laying the platform for the All Blacks victory at the first Rugby World Cup. Following his retirement as a player, JK has held several rugby coaching roles, notably as Head Coach for Italy, and closer to home, the Auckland Blues.

This background, along with his high-profile commentary role on the Sky Sports team, makes JK the perfect speaker to talk to a room full of construction industry practitioners about the next day’s All Blacks vs. France Test Match.

Outside of Rugby, JK has been a central figure in the campaign to raise mental health awareness. This important work, along with his status as a true All Black great saw JK become Sir John Kirwan in 2012.