Bob Jones (New Zealand)
From Free net encyclopedia
Sir Robert 'Bob' Edward Jones (born 1939) is a property tycoon, author and former politician in New Zealand.
Growing up in working class Naenae, Wellington, he attended Victoria University of Wellington and contributed to a boxing column in the university's newspaper Salient (magazine).
He earned his wealth through property investment.
He formed the short-lived neo-liberal New Zealand Party in 1983, just before Robert Muldoon's snap 1984 election. When the election was over, Jones disbanded the party. In 1985, Jones was reached while out fishing in a remote valley by reporters in a helicopter, which included TVNZ journalist, Rod Vaughan. Upon seeing them, he infamously punched Vaughan in the nose.
He attempted to remove the Fijian Embassy from one of his properties during the time of the 1987 Fijian coup.
Sir Robert is a Knight Bachelor. Part of his reasoning for getting a knighthood was that he donated a fair amount of his money into New Zealand provincial causes (For instance, a number of New Zealand towns have statues of local importance funded and donated by him). An interesting person to those who have met him, he is an outspoken man who speaks his mind about issues with pride. He has written many books, mostly with a current affairs slant. He is also a close affilate of Victoria University's Political Science programme.