This licence lets you distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon this work, even commercially, as long as you credit us for the original creation. This is the most accommodating of the licences offered, in terms of what you can do with our works licensed under Attribution.

Tools

Download Add to My Collection Contact us about this Citation for this item

Gibbs, Colin Ogilvie

Biography

BiographyColin Gibbs was a prominent Upper Hutt businessman who owned and managed Hazelwoods department store for many years. He was also active in local body politics.

His father, T. N. Gibbs, was a Christchurch businessman and storeowner who bought Hazelwoods from its founder, J. A. Hazelwood, in 1944. After qualifying as a chartered accountant, Colin Gibbs worked in retail management in Sydney, where he also married. Returning to New Zealand, he became Assistant Manager of Hazelwoods in 1954, taking over as manager in 1956. Under his management Hazelwoods was expanded and developed into a major department store. An October 1982 article listed him as managing director of Hazelwoods and chairman of associated companies Hazelwoods Travel Ltd and Quinns Post Motor Inn Ltd, and chairman of Capital City Radio Ltd, which ran Radio Windy (now The Breeze), and had been involved in its founding (the newly-formed company applied for a radio station warrant in October 1969).
He served as President of the New Zealand Retailers Federation and was an executive member of the Upper Hutt Chamber of Commerce for 24 years.

Colin Gibbs was elected to the Upper Hutt City Council in 1962, serving two terms before retiring. While on Council he was chair of the town planning committee, and was a major participant in the important debates and initiatives concerning the direction and development of Upper Hutt’s CBD that took place during the 1960s and 1970s.
The November 21, 1963 'Leader' said he had just been elected President of the Greater Wellington and Hutt Valley Retailers' Association, and was a Director and General Manager of J. A. Hazelwood and Company Limited, Upper Hutt, a member of the Hutt Borough Council and a member of the Executive Committee of the Wellington Planning Authority.
He stood for the Wellington Regional Council in 1980, but came third, behind Rex Kirton and Stuart MacAskill.
When Colin's son Michael took over the management of Hazelwoods, Colin and Maureen moved to Australia, where they ran a management training company.
When they returned to New Zealand they converted the old Silverstream Post Office into a home, before building a new house overlooking the Akatarawa River.

There is an extensive article in the September 25, 1974 'Leader', and others on April 28, 2004, celebrating their golden wedding, and March 5, 2014, after the golden wedding.

Colin was involved in many building projects, as Managing Partner in the Gibbs Family Partnership;
Conversion of Quinn's Post motel into a rest home, 1996; chairman of directors of Fergusson Rest Home Limited.
Countdown supermarket building, Queen Street, 2000 (Cotop Holdings Limited, with Lance Cottam, Kevin Jury).
The April 7, 2004 'Leader' showed land south of the railway line, facing Park Street and Goodshed Road, with the goods shed being demolished; Colin had bought the land some years earlier; he initially planned a 44-unit 'Parkstone Villas' residential development. The August 18 'Leader' reported that the council was recommending against the proposal; vehicle access to the CBD was circuitous and the subway was not frequented because of its isolated nature. A month's pre-marketing had seen contracts signed and deposits placed for 12 of the 44 units.
The September 22 'Leader' confirmed the council's refusal.
The January 12, 2005 'Leader' printed a plan of a proposed business park; it is quite different from what actually occurred.
In 2014 the land was covered by Mitre 10 Mega, which opened on April 29, 2005, and the block which ends with Briscoes.

There is a large Colin Ogilvie Gibbs collection, mostly of Hazelwoods material, in the library collection.

Colin died at home on April 12, 2023; the last Dominion Post printed a death notice on April 14 (the day before 'Dominion' was dropped from the paper's name).

Photos

House, Fergusson Drive; No. 336; former Heretaunga Post Office; Maureen and Colin Gibbs

Queen Street, south side; No. 96*; rear of King Street businesses, and Gibbs Lane.

Chamber of Commerce; president Michael Gibbs; on Queen Street Countdown site.

Quinns Post Motor Lodge; conversion to a hospital and resthome complex starts.

Rotary (?); City Engineer Neil Johansen farewelled.

Hazelwoods wine and cheese 1967; Colin Gibbs presenting a cheque to IHC.

Hazelwoods Women's Day; Colin Gibbs and Mrs Codyre inflating balloons.

ANZ Bank manager Cecil Rhodes with Colin Gibbs.

Hazelwoods; Colin Gibbs, Womens Day. [P1-2101-4491]

Hazelwoods; Maureen and Colin Gibbs with Mabel Codyre.

Upper Hutt Borough Council members 1962.

Hazelwoods; Gold Coast select-and-wear promotion and fashion parade 2.

Hazelwoods; Gold Coast select-and-wear promotion and fashion parade 3.

Hazelwoods; Gold Coast select-and-wear promotion and fashion parade 1.

Colin Gibbs [P1-70-877]

Hazelwoods Father Christmas 1964? Crowd in Main Street; Colin Gibbs central.

Hazelwoods; T N Gibbs, who purchased the company from J Benge and J A Hazelwood, 1944.

Hazelwoods Father Christmas 1964 (?); train outside store.

Railways; Upper Hutt goods shed, from the north-west.

Manuscript

Letter from J.A. Hazelwood to Colin Gibbs, 1963

Hazelwoods staff list, 1972

Correspondence between J.A. Hazelwood and Colin Gibbs, December 1959

Colin Gibbs memoir

Colin Gibbs oral history interview abstract

Audio

Colin Gibbs oral history interview, 22 February 2016 (part 1 of 2)

Colin Gibbs oral history interview, 22 February 2016 (part 2 of 2)

Person

Gibbs, Elsie

Organisation

Hazelwoods

Menu

Gibbs, Colin Ogilvie