MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday 3 JUNE 2013
Building Sector Celebrates Queens Birthday Honour
New Zealand’s building industry is celebrating the appointment of industry stalwart Graham Coe as an Officer of the New
Zealand Order of Merit, announced today in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Registered Master Builders Federation CEO Warwick Quinn says Graham Coe is the industry’s single most worthy recipient
of the honour after an illustrious half century career in the building and construction sector.
“Graham’s life’s work has contributed significantly to New Zealand as a nation, through his dedication to the betterment
of the industry. His leadership within Master Builders and BRANZ has led to a sector wide improvement in the standards
required and quality delivered by builders to New Zealanders.”
Graham Coe, a life member of the New Zealand Master Builders Federation as well as Auckland Master Builders Federation,
spent 36 years running his own construction companies – including Franklin based Coe and Lewer Builders – building
hundreds of new dwellings, schools, churches, factories and the Waiuku Civic Centre.
Graham Coe first joined the Auckland Master Builders in 1972 and held various management and board positions – including
branch president, board member, junior vice president, president and immediate past president – before he was made a
life member in 2002.
He joined the New Zealand Master Builders Federation marketing committee in 1990 and in 1993 was made its president. A
series of senior positions within the organisation – board member of Master Build Services, NZ Federation council and
then the Board – followed, before he was made president of the New Zealand Master Builders Federation in 2001. In 2004
he was made a life member.
Graham Coe was also instrumental in developing the House of the Year programme – he was chairman of the national judging
panel between 2001 and 2010 - which has been credited with lifting the standards of residential building in this
country.
He has also played a pivotal role in the success of Building and Research New Zealand (BRANZ), as chairman of both BRANZ
Group and Brand Ltd from 2007 and 2008 respectively until this year.
Warwick Quinn says Graham Coe has contributed selflessly to the sector – much of the work done in his own time and out
of his own pocket.
“The sector has collectively asked – how can we adequately acknowledge what Graham has done for our industry? A royal
honour, we believe, is appropriate recognition.”
ENDS