Mr. Steve Lockwood

Steve came to Boys’ High in 1973 and, like Colin, had in his form class another young man who would go on to become a member of our Business Alumni – Mr Ross George. Steve was in 3L2 with Mr John Lee as form teacher. Steve was in Gordon Club and played for the 5th Grade White rugby team in 1973. He would also play chess and be involved in the Duke of Edinburgh programme during his time at Boys’ High.

Steve gained School Certificate in 1975 but left school part-way through his 6th form year. When entering the work force, Steve was given a choice – forestry or state insurance. He chose insurance and he worked for State Insurance until 1980 when he moved to Marsh Insurance as a broker.

In 1983 Steve joined Colin and as a result Crombie Lockwood opened an office here in Palmerston North, which was the company’s second office, with the New Plymouth, Wellington and Christchurch offices opening soon after – as I mentioned earlier, Crombie Lockwood has grown significantly since those early days, with 31 offices throughout the country and employing over 900 people.

Steve was a majority shareholder and Chief Executive Officer for Crombie Lockwood until 2006 when the company was acquired by ASX listed company Wesfarmers. He was the Executive Chairman of Wesfarmers Insurance Broking until 2014 when the company was sold to Gallagher, a global leader in insurance and risk management services. Since then, Steve has been Managing Director of Gallagher Global Brokerage New Zealand, Australia and Asia, incorporating Crombie Lockwood, Pen Underwriting and Elantis Premium Funding.

Steve has several business interests outside of the insurance industry, including hotels, carbon farming and commercial property and tourism businesses. Steve heads the Lockwood Property Group which has property investments throughout the country.

Steve has two sons and in his spare time he skippers his own boat and with Simone he enjoys fishing and diving. He is also an avid car collector, and in 2017 he bought a rare 1934 Bugatti that was once owned by a member of Louis Vuitton’s family from the estate of Central Otago man Bob Turnbull. The 1934 Type 57 Gangloff Roadster, which is a thing of rare beauty, was bought by Steve to display at car museums around the country.

Steve also operates and supports a number of conservation projects throughout the country.