Hugh (Hugo) Green
1931-2012
Hugh Green, known as “Hugo”, was born on 24 October 1931, in Raphoe, County Donegal, Ireland, and was one of eight siblings. By today’s standards, the family had very little, but they made do with what they had. He often recalled, “If you had a good pair of boots, a good pair of socks, and a feed, that was it.”
At twelve Hugh left school to work on the farm with his father, where he learned the cattle dealing trade. He was raised in a home where Catholic faith was at the core, and this faith stayed with him throughout his life. Like many Irish during that time, Hugh sought a better future, and at 17, he left Ireland for Scotland before eventually settling in New Zealand.
Through hard work and perseverance, Hugh built a successful business in New Zealand, all while maintaining a commitment to helping others. As he once told his daughter Maryanne, “When I kick the bucket, I want a fair bit to go to charity.”
After Hugh’s passing in 2012, Maryanne established the Hugo Charitable Trust in his memory. Since its launch in 2017, Hugo has donated over $19 million to a wide range of charitable causes while growing its capital base, ensuring that Hugh and Maryanne’s commitment to giving back will continue for generations to come.
“I’ve always tried to follow my father’s example of sharing what I have with other people. Even when I wasn’t earning much, I managed to find a little to help those who had even less.”
Hugh Green
(Extract from Hugh’s book – The Story of an Irish Emigrant Who Never Left Home)
A Lad From Raphoe
By Mark Owens, 2005
A drover lad, a cattle trader
Engineer and corporate raider
Scottish tunnels, Aussie cane
Ditches, piping, wind and rain
Hydro dams and island roads
Wheelbarrows and bucket loads
Drainage dug, all by hand
The Irish boys, a merry band
Diesel engines, hydraulic rams
More by levers, less by hands
Farming fringe of city sites
Office work and boardroom fights
Subdivided, built and leased
Trading shares, contracting ceased
Children grown, married fifty years
Doctor of law, respect of peers
Time to rest, look back with pride
At hardship taken in your stride
Sharing wealth with needs you know
Not bad, for a lad from Raphoe
