His career has seen him accumulate over 50 years' experience with a wide client portfolio of commercial, manufacturing, and agricultural businesses. Prior to the foundation of Yovich and Co., Wally worked for the Inland Revenue Department in Whangarei, including 5 years as tax inspector, while, true to his diligent values, studying for his qualifications.

His achievements include the public listing of Michael Hill Jeweller in 1987, the public listing of United Carriers, and helping to float Marsden Maritime Holdings, then known as the Northland Port Corp. He has been Director of public companies such as United Transport and Michael Hill International, a Director of the Housing Corporation, and a Councillor and Finance Chairman for the Whangarei District Council for 6 years. As our Senior Wealth Management Adviser, Wally is well placed to provide the advice and support you need to make the most of your long-term wealth.

Not only that, Wally is a committed and valued member of the Whangarei community, which has been his home for his whole life. As well as being awarded the Queen’s Service Medal, Wally served as a district councillor for two terms as Chairman of Finance. Under his watch, council debt dropped from $41m to $16m without increasing rates, while still managing to seal the roads and get the Town Basin going. His flagship community project is Whangarei’s Jim Carney Cancer Treatment Centre, which opened its doors in 2014 following a $3m fundraising effort.

When Wally is not working at Yovich and Co. or on community projects, he loves to play outdoor bowls, and as you would expect he has taken up many committee positions at the local club over the years. He has also managed to combine this with his passion for preserving the culture of his heritage by organising an annual indoor bowls tournament between the upper North Island’s Dalmatian Clubs. A member of the Whangarei Dalmatian Club, which seeks to preserve the heritage and culture of people of Croatian, Yugoslav, or Dalmatian descent, he has also served on the committee as secretary and treasurer.

Another passion of Wally’s is the Whangarei Quarry Gardens, which is a subtropical oasis created by volunteers in the remnants of a former quarry. As patron, Wally provided some of the initial capital to kick start the project, which now features a plethora of NZ native and exotic plant species for the public to enjoy.