Rocket Lab founder Peter Beck has been crowned EY New Zealand Entrepreneur of the Year and will head to Monaco to battle for the world title. Beck founded the Auckland-based company in 2007 and is planning to launch the company's Electron rocket from Mahia Peninsula later this year in what will be the first commercial space launch from New Zealand. "But, at the end of the day, we had to make a choice and the judges were star-struck by our winner. "The category winners include three women who are running huge, ethical companies below the radar and it has been an honour to showcase their businesses. Awards director Jon Hooper said he was impressed by the diversity of industries the category winners represented adding that they were all disrupters.

Source: New Zealand Herald October 13, 2016 16:03 UTC