Ted Manson
{{Short description|New Zealand property developer and philanthropist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Sir Ted Manson
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|KNZM|size=100%}}
| image = Ted Manson CNZM (cropped).jpg
| alt =
| caption = Manson in 2022
| birth_name = Edward Colin Manson
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1954}}
| birth_place = Ōtāhuhu, New Zealand
| death_date =
| death_place =
| spouse =
| children =
| occupation = {{Hlist|Property developer|philanthropist}}
}}
Sir Edward Colin Manson {{post-nominals|country=NZL|KNZM|size=85%}} (born 1954) is a New Zealand businessman and philanthropist.
Early life and family
Manson was born in Ōtāhuhu in 1954, the son of Rae and Colin Manson.{{cite news |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/new-year-2025-honours-billionaire-philanthropist-ted-manson-knighted/I3UW7HPPCZHYJIANLYQPZU5YX4/ |title=New Year 2025 Honours: Billionaire philanthropist Ted Manson knighted |first=Anne |last=Gibson |date=31 December 2024 |work=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=9 January 2025}} He grew up in a state house in the Auckland suburb of Ōrākei, and was educated at Selwyn College. He went on to study valuation at the University of Auckland.{{cite web |url=https://www.tmfoundation.co.nz/about-us |title=About us |publisher=Ted Manson Foundation |access-date=9 January 2025}}
Property development
In 1975, Manson and his father, Colin, founded a company buying and renovating houses for sale or rent. In the 1980s, the company was buying and selling an average of one house a day, and by the mid-1980s it owned 640 rental homes. In the 1990s, the Mansons moved into the conversion of office buildings into apartments in Auckland, as well as large-scale commercial development. Colin Manson died in 1998.
In 2006, Manson was joined in the family firm by his three sons, Culum, Luke and Mac, and the company became Mansons TCLM Limited. The business has since constructed more than 400 homes and {{convert|600000|m2}} of commercial office space in Auckland, and is the largest private property development company in New Zealand.
In 2024, the Manson family's net worth was estimated at {{NZ$|1.1 billion|link=yes}}.{{cite news |url=https://www.nbr.co.nz/featured-listers-2024/featured-nbr-listers-2024-manson-family-2/ |title=Featured NBR listers 2024: Manson family |date=26 June 2024 |work=NBR |access-date=9 January 2025}}
Philanthropy
In 2014, Manson established the Ted Manson Foundation, a charitable trust to improve educational outcomes and housing quality in disadvantaged communities. The trust funds social housing developments, provides vans to low-decile schools, and makes donations to other bodies including the Auckland City Mission, Hato Hone St John and the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust. Other programmes include the targeted provision of teaching resources for new-entrant classes and school counselling and wellbeing services.{{cite web |url=https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/honours/lists/qb2022-cnzm#mansoned |title=The Queen's Birthday and Platinum Jubilee Honours list 2022 – citations for Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit |date=6 June 2022 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |access-date=9 January 2025}}{{cite web |url=https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/honours/lists/ny2025-knzm#mansoned |title=New Year Honours list 2025 – citations for Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit |date=31 December 2025 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |access-date=9 January 2025}}
Honours and awards
File:Ted Manson investiture 2015.jpg by the governor-general, Sir Jerry Mateparae, at Government House, Auckland, on 7 May 2015]]
In the 2015 New Year Honours, Manson was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to urban redevelopment.{{cite web |url=https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/publications/new-year-honours-list-2015 |title=New Year honours list 2015 |date=31 December 2014 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |access-date=9 January 2025}} He was promoted to Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to philanthropy, urban development and business, in the 2022 Queen's Birthday and Platinum Jubilee Honours,{{cite web |url=https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/queens-birthday-and-platinum-jubilee-honours-list-2022 |title=The Queen's Birthday and Platinum Jubilee Honours List 2022 |date=6 June 2022 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |access-date=9 January 2025}} and further promoted to Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to philanthropy, the community and business, in the 2025 New Year Honours.{{cite news |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/new-year-honours-2025-the-full-list/HXG5CJOD4FE7RKA6HNK7BJO4F4/ |title=New Year Honours 2025: the full list |date=31 December 2024 |work=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=9 January 2025}}
In 2023, Manson was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame, in recognition of his contributions to property development and social equity.{{cite web |url=https://www.businesshalloffame.co.nz/past-laureates/ulu-aiono-lw7wy-aecxp-5xwmk-nb5nd |title=Ted Manson |year=2023 |website=New Zealand Business Hall of Fame |access-date=9 January 2025}}