Author(s): Ian Hunter

NZ Biography/Memoir

This new edition of Man for Our Time is the compelling account of Robert Laidlaw, the visionary entrepreneur behind the Farmers Trading Company. At the age of just 24, Laidlaw started what became the fastest growing company in New Zealand history. Within a decade, the Farmers Trading Company was the largest department store in New Zealand as Laidlaw delivered successive innovations that touched the lives of tens of thousands of New Zealanders: his iconic Hobson Street store; the Farmers free bus, the Farmers Christmas parade, hire purchase shopping, the Farmers tearooms, the rooftop childrens’ playground, and the best quality goods at the lowest possible prices. Man for Our Time gives a panoramic account of one of New Zealand’s greatest business leaders revealing an incredible blend of gutsy innovation and committed Christian faith. This new edition contains over 100 black and white photographs that illustrate Laidlaw’s personal life and also reveal many interesting insights into domestic and social changes in New Zealand in the 20th century.