Founder l Sculptor l Artist
About MARK WHYTE
Mark Whyte is a Lyttelton artist who graduated with a BFA in Sculpture from the Ilam School of Fine Art. He specialises in stone sculpture, heritage restoration, public statuary in marble and bronze, and bronze portraiture. His earliest work in stone heritage restoration was with Takaka marble for the Wellington Parliament refurbishment project in1992. Since then he has played a key role in restoring many of the iconic Gothic Revival buildings around Christchurch and Lyttelton designed by Benjamin Mountfort, most of which were destroyed or severely damaged in the Canterbury earthquakes of 2010 and 2011.
The largest of his various public works in the Canterbury region is the statue of double Victoria Cross winner Charles Upham at Amberley. In 2009 Whyte was commissioned by the Local Heroes Trust to make twelve bronze busts of prominent Cantabrians to commemorate their achievements in business, culture, sport and the arts. These portraits are currently installed near the clocktower entrance of the Christchurch Arts Centre.
Founder l Stonemason l Bricklayer
About ROBIN AYERS
Robin comes from a long line Stone Masons reaching back five generations. The Ayers family have been Bricklayers and Stonemasons since the 1700s in England. Robs' grandfather, William Ayers, was site foreman when the Old Government Building in Christchurch was built just over 100 years ago.
Bob Ayers, Robin’s Father has been a Stonemason for 62 years and he estimates he has worked on 80 per cent of the heritage stone buildings in Christchurch, including the Christ Church Cathedral, the Lyttelton Time ball and the Provincial Chambers.
Robs Daughter Suzann is an accomplished Stonemason herself and it probably won’t surprise you to read that one of Robin’s Grandsons, Daniel is an Apprentice with Goldfield Stone on the way to become a Stonemason himself.
The calling to work with stone was so strong, that Rob has remained in the trade even after he completed, his studies as a medical doctor.
General Manager l Leader
About GLENN MORRIS
Glenn is a newcomer to Goldfield Stone and started as General Manager in May ‘23. Glenn brings 30 years of experience in contracting, business growth, business advisory and leadership roles. He founded Knock Out Concrete Cutters with his brother, sold his Shares to study business and was awarded a Masters of Business Administration (MBA). He also founded Tradeworx a software integration and training company that works with Construction businesses across New Zealand and Australia focusing on integration of business systems through best of breed cloud based software. Since selling Tradeworx he has held executive leadership roles in Business Advisory, Chartered Accounting and Software Development and Implementation.
Glenn has a track record in leading business growth through utilising real time information for business decision making, nurturing client relationships underpinned by mentoring and building high performing teams.