Waitangi Day on the World Stage.
A "Broad And Deep Patchwork Of Expats" Celebrate Another Waitangi Day In San Francisco:
Kiwis in San Francisco and the wider Bay Area come together for their annual Waitangi Day Black Tie Dinner. It will be
attended by many highly esteemed, world renowned Kiwis. This year's distinguished speakers are businessman Sir Kenneth
Stevens and mathematician Sir Vaughan Jones.
The established Expat organization; the NZ American Association San Francisco (NZAASF) organizes this annual event. This
year the dinner will be held at the Golden Gate Yacht Club on Saturday 9th of February.
NZAASF President Lesley Tilley says the event, "is hosting a wonderful patchwork of New Zealander's from all over
California.
"We welcome Kiwi social group members, rugby players, scientists, academicians, entertainers and business
representatives".
Guests include friends and families from NZ; business leaders from the NZ business incubator Kiwi Landing Pad and KEA
(Kiwi Expatriates Abroad); fellows from the scientific community, UC Berkeley, Vanderbilt University, and other
international business networking associations.
Guests will dine on New Zealand lamb and pavlova while listening to Sir Kenneth Stevens and Sir Vaughan Jones.
Sir Kenneth Stevens founded Glidepath, a business that sells baggage and cargo handling products to airports in over 64
countries around the world. In 2009 he was made Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit For Services to
Exporting. Now chairman of Export NZ he won the "Flying Kiwi Hi Tech Award for 2012 in recognition of a lifetime of
achievement in export business and engineering.
Berkeley mathematician, Sir Vaughan Jones was awarded the Fields Medal in 1990. Given only once every four years, the
Fields Medal is the math world equivalent of the Nobel Prize. Sir Vaughan Jones is also a Knight Companion of the New
Zealand Order of Merit.
WAITANGI DAY HONOURED SPEAKERS
Golden Gate Yacht Club, SF February 9, 2013
Sir Vaughan Jones is the distinguished professor of Mathematics at Vanderbilt University. Sir Vaughan was awarded the prestigious Fields
Medal in 1990 which is the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in Mathematics. His work onknot polynomials lead to a totally
unexpected direction in mathematics leading to what is now known as the Jones polynomials used in solving problems in
quantum field theory and in untangling the double-helix knots and coils of DNA.
Sir Kenneth Stevens is Chairman & Managing Director of Glidepath Group, the NZ company he founded 40 years ago. Glidepath Group’s equipment, software
systems and consulting projects are in over 60 countries worldwide. In 2012 Sir Ken was inducted into the Hi-Tech Hall
of Fame and named the NZ 2012 “Flying Kiwi”. Sir Ken continues to play a crucial role in mentoring other NZ exporters
and promoting the country’s trading future.
ENDS