top of page

60 Seconds With

John Yates

Where were you born and where did you grow up ?

Up the road in Christchurch.  The job transfer to Dunedin turned out to be great though.  We thought we'd be there about 5 years but stayed for 17.

Who is your favourite golfer and why ?

It has to be Tiger Woods.  No one else has ever done anything like as much as him to bring our game to the wider populace.

Speight's or Emerson's

Speight's.  While I love craft beers, you know what you get with Speight's and there's nothing like a cold one after a round of golf.

Best advice you've ever been given ?

"If a job's worth doing it's worth doing well"  I know it's not original but it was my father's mantra and it applies everywhere.

If I was Prime Minister I would .....

Drastically prune the number of publicists I have working for me then give consideration to the silent majority who aren't domiciled in Auckland or feeding from the trough in Wellington.

Carisbrook or Forsyth Barr

Forsyth Barr.  You needed rose tinted specs to appreciate the old place but the current stadium is the envy of the rest of the country - and rightly so.

One thing people might not know about you

My first job after graduating was as a methods engineer.

If I could play one golf course I would play at ...

The Old Course at St Andrews.  We stopped in there on a trip a while ago but it has so much tradition that it would be great to play.

If you met yourself as a 20 year old what advice would you give yourself ?

Don't waste time thinking about what might happen.  With the right people around you and good systems and processes things will work out pretty well.

bottom of page