As a man who has made a career out of trying to salvage sinking ships, Sandy Maier's topic of discussion to the Directors' Institute lunch in Tauranga on Friday is apt.
'Leadership during tough times' is the topic, and it's what Sandy does.


Sandy Maier.

At present he's CEO of South Canterbury Finance, a position he's held for a couple of years.
He's quick to point out the separation between South Canterbury Finance's search for new equity partners and former SCF president for life Allan Hubbard's troubles with the Serious Fraud Office.
He says the investigations into the Hubbard's finances will not affect SCF, or the possible new equity partners
"That process is not being affected at all," says Sandy.
"The people we are dealing with are long range, savvy, commercial players."
Sandy set out with a law degree dealing with banks 'distress property' situations, and moved to New Zealand in the mid 1980s.
There were a lot more distressed properties and more work for Sandy in the aftermath of the 1987 sharemarket crash. In the early 90s took on the turn-around of the Development Finance Corporation for the Reserve Bank.
A recurring theme of distress situations in New Zealand business is poor leadership, says Sandy.
"Simply identifying priorities can solve a lot of problems," says Sandy.
South Canterbury Finance's current customer base is about 54 per cent South Island, and about two thirds rural. The rest is involved in the Auckland, Wellington region with the North Island business tending to be more urban. There is a Tauranga office.