Location: New Zealand
Member Since:
Jan. 22, 2013
Perce Harpham
Biography
Born in 1932 in New Zealand Perce graduated with degrees in Chemical Engineering and Mathematics (M.Sc)then worked for a subsidiary of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) ( Dulux New Zealand Ltd) for 14 years. He was moved to the United Kingdom and then Australia as Operations Research Officer. He returned to New Zealand to progress through Production Manager at Lower Hutt for Dulux Paints Ltd and then Management Services Manager responsible for the fourth computer to be installed in New Zealand. He had made his first contact with computers in 1957 while in the UK.
Perce started the first computer software company (Progeni) in NZ in 1968. Progeni prospered and Perce setup subsidiaries in Australia, the USA and China. Following the financial crash of 1987 Progeni, in 1989, was "collateral damage" in the failure of the Bank of New Zealand. See
https://perce.harpham.nz/The story of Progeni.pdf
Perce started again with some success, qualified as a Mediator & Arbitrator and devoted more time to his family and grandchildren, sailing and other pursuits. These include an interest in politics and acting as an arbitrator and mediator. He enjoys cruising in yachts.
Perce was a parliamentary candidate for the Green Party in 2002 then spent some 15 years with the Labour Party. Because of the highly unethical way in which the Labour Government is destroying democracy and creating racial divisions by giving legal rights to Maori instead of having one law for all he cannot remain in that party and will probably not join any party but suggest things to all parties as in his new book Nutopia.
Perce's wife, Myra, also once had a high public profile as co-director of New Zealand's Commission for the Future. They have been married for 66 years. They have 3 children, 8 grandchildren and 4 great grand-children.
Perce started the first computer software company (Progeni) in NZ in 1968. Progeni prospered and Perce setup subsidiaries in Australia, the USA and China. Following the financial crash of 1987 Progeni, in 1989, was "collateral damage" in the failure of the Bank of New Zealand. See
https://perce.harpham.nz/The story of Progeni.pdf
Perce started again with some success, qualified as a Mediator & Arbitrator and devoted more time to his family and grandchildren, sailing and other pursuits. These include an interest in politics and acting as an arbitrator and mediator. He enjoys cruising in yachts.
Perce was a parliamentary candidate for the Green Party in 2002 then spent some 15 years with the Labour Party. Because of the highly unethical way in which the Labour Government is destroying democracy and creating racial divisions by giving legal rights to Maori instead of having one law for all he cannot remain in that party and will probably not join any party but suggest things to all parties as in his new book Nutopia.
Perce's wife, Myra, also once had a high public profile as co-director of New Zealand's Commission for the Future. They have been married for 66 years. They have 3 children, 8 grandchildren and 4 great grand-children.
Smashwords Interview
Where to find Perce Harpham online
Website: https://perce.harpham.nz
Books
Some Voyages Around New Zealand & Elsewhere
by Perce Harpham
Price:
$2.99 USD.
Words: 90,080.
Language:
English.
Published: May 10, 2013
.
Categories:
Nonfiction » Sports & outdoor recreation » Sailing, Nonfiction » Travel » Cruises
In over seventy years of sailing Perce has made many voyages around New Zealand, solo return across the Tasman Sea, to the South Pacific Islands and elsewhere. He weaves observations about people, places, boats and the sea into an unusually acute feeling for the fascination of cruising in small boats.In his time GPS, chartplotters,autopilots and roller furling have revolutionised cruising.