Matthew Cockram

As CEO of private investment firm, Cooper and Company NZ, Matthew Cockram (OC 1980) has had a significant role in the development of the upmarket Britomart Precinct in central Auckland, along with other assets owned and developed by the company. Key aspects of his role include leadership, legal design, structuring, compliance, strategy and reporting. Matthew joined Cooper and Company NZ from large law firm, Bell Gully, where he had worked as a lawyer since graduating from the University of Canterbury with a Law degree in 1984. He became a partner at Bell Gully in 1992, and Chairman of Partners in 2000, specialising in construction, commercial property and major projects. Matthew was Head Prefect at St Andrew’s in his final year, and says the College provided him with good Christian values such as respect, decency and calmness, which have held him in good stead throughout his long career. “Subjects like Economics and Bookkeeping, as it was in those days, are great to have in the mix for a wide range of vocations,” he says. Matthew is currently an independent director of Tainui Group Holdings, the commercial arm of the Tainui iwi, and chaired Waterfront Theatre Ltd, which built and owns a 650-seat theatre in the Wynyard Quarter, run by Auckland Theatre Company.