“Sir Mark is an extraordinary individual who has spent his entire life working tirelessly to build his legacy, and who has used his wealth to benefit the community,” says Chancellor John Allen.
“His intelligent, hard-working, and down-to-earth approach has benefited countless New Zealanders, including many at our University.”
At 88 years old Sir Mark Dunajtschik is still working. Retirement in the conventional sense is not for him.
“My philosophy is that people who are born with a healthy body and mind can look after themselves, and those unfortunate enough to be born with or suffering ill health need our help.” He says he’ll only be retiring three days before his funeral.
This philosophy has guided Sir Mark and his business and life partner Dorothy Spotswood in their extraordinary philanthropic activities for many years.
In 2017 Sir Mark and Dorothy made headlines when they committed $53 million to build a new children’s hospital at Wellington Hospital. Sir Mark also offered his skill as a builder and developer to the project, saying that he could build the hospital himself more cheaply and quickly than if it were left up to the government. The new hospital opened in September 2022.
While a donation of that size is notable, it’s not the only remarkable gift Sir Mark has given to his adopted home, including generous donations to Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
Born in former Yugoslavia in 1935 to German parents, Sir Mark spent three years in a concentration camp from the age of nine, with his mother and sister. As a young man he learned toolmaking in Germany. When he was 23 years old he moved to New Zealand, and set up a business, Precision Grinders, making and servicing tungsten carbide tools.
Sir Mark ran Precision Grinders for 28 years, and then sold it to his nephew in 1987. He then took up property development as a ‘hobby’, building a legacy, along with Dorothy, of buildings including the HSBC Tower, the Asteron Centre, and the Harcourts Building. He has also funded several affordable housing projects, providing hundreds of people with modern, dry, and energy-efficient homes.
Sir Mark has shown his generosity to the Wellington community for more than 40 years. In the mid-1970s he helped fund a helicopter rescue service, which later became Life Flight Trust, now credited with saving over 22,000 lives. In 2019 he donated $2 million to Hōhepa Homes, a service provider for children with special needs and intellectually disabled adults. Last year he pledged $40–$50 million to build a modern and safe 34-bed adult mental health facility in the Hutt Valley.
Sir Mark’s connection with Te Herenga Waka began with a scholarship for engineering, followed by a $2 million gift in 2016 to establish the Mark Dunajtschik Chair of Sustainable Energy Systems. This year, Sir Mark made a remarkable donation of $10 million to the Faculty of Engineering to establish a mechanical engineering department.
This gift will enable the University to diversify into new areas and develop the next generation of engineering graduates.
The University is privileged to work with Sir Mark, who demonstrates the civic-mindedness and dedication to his community we seek to instil in all our graduates. Sir Mark is one of Wellington’s most extraordinary citizens and the University is pleased to present him with this honorary doctorate.
For his vast work in philanthropy and property, Sir Mark has received many accolades and awards. In 2017 he was recognised as Wellingtonian of the Year, and in 2020 he was made the Property Council New Zealand Members’ Laureate. This year, Sir Mark was named Senior New Zealander of the Year and was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year Honours List.
Sir Mark is highly respected throughout the business and commercial community and is always willing to share his knowledge with those around him. Sir Mark’s altruism and philosophy for giving back is immense and his contributions to the city of Wellington and to this University are nothing short of remarkable.