Rendell McIntosh

Rendell McIntosh made a name for himself as a runner, but later gained more prominence for a variety of endeavours often aimed at preserving and honouring history.

McIntosh grew up on a farm near Ashburton. He won the national men's under-19 400m hurdles title in 1971, and the following year stepped up to win the senior title in 53.4s. He won a second 400m hurdles title in 1975 and in 1976 won the New Zealand 800m title in 1min 49.5s.

After leaving school, McIntosh worked for the Farmers Co-op, initially in the stock and station department in Ashburton and then in the credit department in Christchurch. In 1974, he joined Air New Zealand, working in marketing and promotions for 16 years.

He ran for the Old Boys club in Christchurch and earned selection for the 400m hurdles at the 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth Games. In his heat, his 53.1s was enough for him to advance to the semi-finals. There his time of 52.0s was 10th fastest and he just missed a spot in the final.

After his time at Air New Zealand, McIntosh established his own events management company, RIMU Promotions. He moved to Parnell in Auckland and began researching the history of Judges Bay. In 2005, he was one of the founders of Parnell Heritage, and served as the group's chair.

McIntosh worked with Paul Ryken to plan and implement the inaugural Auckland Marathon crossing the Auckland Harbour Bridge, in 1992. He was a co-founder of the Auckland Marathon Company with his wife, Jillian de Beer, and was the race promoter of the event in 1992 and 1993.

In 2005, he became the manager of the historic house Alberton in the Auckland suburb of Mt Roskill. He started Alberton Market Days, which became hugely popular, enabling Mt Albert residents buy produce or craft items and enjoy entertainment and food in a grand garden setting. McIntosh was one of a group who formed the Mt Albert Historical Society.

He was also involved in a project to restore the original rail tunnel linking Newmarket and Parnell.