John Culyer Wigglesworth, B.Com, FCA (hon.ret’d), FCIS, F.inst.D, ONZM

Old Boy John Wigglesworth '42 with Grandson Max at the Intergenerational Breakfast during the 150th celebrations

​​​John Wigglesworth had a life-long involvement in the sport of water skiing, the accounting profession, the arts, education and the community. He was born on 22 March 1928 and died on 28 December 2019 aged 91.

He was a Life Member New Zealand Water Ski Association, past president of the World Water Ski Union and he was the first New Zealander on the World Executive and was admitted to the International Water Ski Hall of Fame. He was chairman of the New Zealand Water Ski Foundation. He was also a keen golfer with Royal Auckland. He was Chair of the Mackelvie Trust and a trustee of the Burnett Trust.

John’s family shifted from Christchurch to Auckland in 1935 and he attended Cornwall Park District School from 1936 to 1941.
John attended Grammar from 1942 to 1945, taking first place in 3A General, 4A General and tenth in 5A before finishing second in 6 Commercial in 1945.
He was a member of the first hockey XI in 1944 and 1945 and was a Prefect in 1945.

Mathematics and English were his strongest subjects and he enjoyed science which had a certain attraction. He left Grammar with four subjects towards his accounting degree. John later said that the 6 Commercial form was a great asset to people going on to business and getting on with their life.
John studied part time of an evening at University of Auckland graduating with a B.Com and an Accounting qualification at 21.

“Attending Grammar was a memorable time in my life and I’ve been a passionate Grammar man ever since and it was a great asset as far as I was concerned and I’ve tried to give a little bit of it back by serving on the Grammar Board for 22 years.”

He was a foundation member of the Headmaster’s Council in 1970 and Auckland Grammar School Old Boy of the Year in 1989. John was a past president and an Honorary Life Member of the Old Boys’ Association. In his later life he valued the fellowship of the Old Boys Club 70 Coffee Group.

He was also 17 years on the St Cuthbert’s College Board and the John Wigglesworth Sports Centre is among the sports facilities at the College. He was 20 years on the Woolf Fisher Trust and 15 years on the Auckland Gallery Board.

He had been a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators since 1978 and was the youngest to be made a Fellow Chartered Accountant having been a partner of the Chartered Accounting firm Porter, Wigglesworth and Grayburn. He was a Director of Shortland Investments Limited.

He was a foundation member of the Carbine Club of New Zealand in 1971, was president of the Club 1995-97 and was made a Life Member of the Club in 2019.


He was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2013 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to art, water-skiing and the community.