Auckland’s Danny Lendich must stand as one of the most dynamic and multi-faceted figures in the earthmoving and transport industry, a man whose life stretched across agricultural toil, mechanical innovation, business empires, and deep community roots. Born in 1944 to Croatian (former Yugoslavia) immigrants, Lendich’s journey from childhood hardship to success is not just a story of a self-made family man, but a testament to resilience, vision, and unyielding drive - in other words, a Southpac Legend.

Early Years: Hardship and the Birth of Ambition

Danny’s life began on an apple and pear orchard on Moire Road in Massey – a property his parents Filip and Ruze Lendich, purchased after his father started life in New Zealand as a gum digger up north.

“My grandfather came here many years before my grandmother, laying the foundation down before she and their four children came. My dad was born here after that, here in NZ,” says Danny’s daughter Joanna.

The Lendich family’s poverty left its mark: as a boy, Danny could not afford shoes and famously attended school with cow dung on his feet. This earned him the schoolyard nickname “Danny cowdung”—a reflection of humble beginnings but also a badge of hardiness that would define his life’s work ethic. Croatian was his first language, and while he cherished his heritage, he determined to chart his own course beyond the expectations of his family and community, eager to build a better life for himself and those around him.

Leaving the academic world behind, Danny’s practical interests emerged early. At just 12 years old, he started using his father’s tractor to do jobs for local farmers after school and on weekends – a small business that marked the beginning of his lifelong passion for machinery and contracting. By the age of 14, with the support of his family, he was able to acquire his own bulldozer, diving headfirst into the world of heavy machinery at an age when most children were still studying basic arithmetic.

Building a Contracting Empire

What began as small jobs on the family tractor blossomed into a lifelong enterprise. Danny was working as a contractor, rapidly developing a reputation for tireless work and innovative solutions. Danny operated under different business names over the years—transitioning from Lendich Brothers to Lendich Construction as the company evolved, the label “Lendich since 1956” became a hallmark of his long-standing operation.

Overcoming significant obstacles, Danny, supported by his wife Dianne, aimed to modernise and expand their operations. A pivotal moment came in the early ‘70s when Danny and his wife travelled to Australia, pondering their next move. They spent time watching trucks crisscross the Queensland highways, meticulously deciding which make of truck would best suit their ambitions. After considerable deliberation, they settled on the Kenworth brand, a decision that would become central to their business identity. That first Kenworth, “PM1” (Prime Mover one), was a foundation stone for a growing fleet that over time grew to “PM10”.

Danny’s commitment to excellence extended to every detail. His acquisition of heavy-duty trailers, inspired by a visit to midget car races in Denver, Colorado, led him to commission custom-built tipulated trailers from Fruehauf. Danny had them made extra strong with extra ribs as in his words, ‘he wanted to build them to last forever’ – hallmarks of Lendich’s insistence on durability and quality.

Infrastructure Influence and Civil Works

Lendich Construction quickly became a major force in New Zealand’s developing infrastructure. Projects included the iconic Sky Tower, the sprawling Spaghetti Junction interchange, the Northwestern Motorway beginning at Grafton Gully, on-ramps for the Auckland Harbour Bridge, and even the demolition of such landmarks as the Majestic Theatre, Cinerama, Auckland Market, Salvation Army building, Star Hotel, Shakespeare Tavern, and the New Zealand Herald building. Danny’s company played a pivotal role in the creation and modernisation of Auckland’s built environment. Other significant jobs included the tunneling and damming of the Tongariro Hydro Scheme, gold mining around Murchison, forestry roading around the East Cape, the Marsden Point pipeline and the gas lines in New Plymouth.

Perhaps most monumental was the contract to prepare foundations for the massive power pylons stretching from Taupaki all the way to Whangarei. Every one of those pylons rests on ground levelled and prepared by Lendich. This extensive pylon project prompted the company to open operations in Kaitaia.

The Lendich business also undertook work overseas, with Danny being proud to say that they extended the runway to accomodate larger aircraft at the Western Samoa airport, and Lendich also had a branch in California, USA.

Lendich’s work ethic was relentless. He prided himself on tackling jobs others would shy away from, often working through holidays and weekends, running jobs around the clock under the Ministry of Works and local councils.

Entrepreneurial Spirit and Expansion

It was not just in contracting and trucking that Danny Lendich proved himself a visionary. Every overseas trip was an opportunity for inspiration and new ideas. A trip to Europe led him to import Smart cars and retrofit them with diesel tanks, revolutionising how his company could refuel its machinery quickly and efficiently on-site.

The same spirit of curiosity and adaptability led to one of his most significant accomplishments: Operating the Wendy’s fast-food franchise in New Zealand. After being introduced to Wendy’s in the United States during a lunch with Midget Car racer Sleepy Tripp, Danny was so impressed by the food and service that he decided to acquire the franchise and opened his first Wendy’s restaurant in New Zealand in 1988. Over time, the business grew to 25 locations nationwide.

Lendich’s managerial style was hands-on and deeply invested. He cared about customer experience, often visiting his restaurants personally, and was relentless in maintaining product quality. Danny resisted corporate pressures to change key menu items – refusing to switch to skinny fries or shrink burger buns – believing New Zealanders deserved generous portions and consistency. Wendy’s New Zealand remains unique globally for retaining these original menu staples.

Diversifying into Service and Retail

Identifying gaps in the local market, Danny also ventured into retail fuel, founding a gas station when his contracting fleet needed convenient refuelling in Massey, West Auckland. The venture quickly became one of New Zealand’s highest-volume gas stations. The sale of that iconic Royal Heights station to Mobil after deregulation provided vital capital to build the All-Seasons centre in Te Atatu.

This multifaceted approach – heavy contracting, retail, and fast food – showcases Danny’s holistic and entrepreneurial way of seeing opportunity in every direction.

“He had great ideas and great foresight, and he was always correct, he took some risks, and they always paid off,” says Joanna. “And then my mother, she’s an excellent financial head, so she always made everything work. So, they were a great team.”

Motorsport: From Digger to Dirt Track Legend

Motorsport was a constant thread in Danny Lendich’s life and legacy. His early exposure to the scene came at age 12, when neighbour Roy Hanbury took him to watch stock car races in Auckland. 

“Dads first race experience was to go and watch Louis the Leopard (Louis Antonievich) in stock cars at Epsom Showgrounds,” says Joanna. “Louis had a bright red car with a white leopard down one side. He was 12 at the time.”

Joanna continues; “He then first visited Western Springs speedway when he was around 14 years old with a family friend, Arthur Biggs, to watch the motorbikes. From here he started to crew for Roy Hanbury and his midget car. Dad’s sponsorship of Hanbury’s midget car launched a tradition of supporting and owning competitive teams at Western Springs Speedway and abroad.”

Danny would go on to sponsor, engineer, and manage teams with some of the most legendary names in dirt track racing, including previously mentioned Roy Hanbury, Barry Butterworth, Sleepy Tripp and Jerry Coons Jr.

Danny was the first New Zealander to win a USAC (United States Auto Club) feature race in America as a car owner – and he and his teams collected 19 career USAC feature wins, an extraordinary achievement that made Lendich a respected figure on both sides of the Pacific.

Though he didn’t drive the race cars himself, he did famously compete in truck racing – most notably winning an early 1970s Pukekohe truck race in his Kenworth, outpacing the more common British Bedfords and other mid-size trucks of the era.

His loyalty to the speedway community was legendary. Even in his final weeks, Danny fought passionately to preserve Western Springs Speedway, advocating from his hospital bed as others sought to have the speedway converted to an event venue.

Sponsorships and Community Commitment

Beyond business and motorsport, Lendich was fully invested in his local community. He regularly contributed to school fairs and local causes, famously delivering scaffolding for the Holy Cross School Fair in his prized Kenworth truck, much to the pride of his children.

Joanna says that Danny was also a rugby guy, he played continuously for Waitemata for 25 years, from juniors to seniors, and made Auckland selection. He was known to be tough and uncompromising on the field; he was fiercely loyal and remained a lifelong member of the club.

When the opportunity to sponsor New Zealand’s top sports teams arose, Danny’s ambitions were large, but practical. Unable to afford a deal with the All Blacks, (thanks to his friend John Hart) he pivoted to the New Zealand Warriors rugby league team, becoming a key sponsor for 19 consecutive seasons. To this day, the Wendy’s logo on Warriors’ shorts is a visible legacy of Danny’s commitment and pride.

Character, Hardships, and Sacrifice

Those who knew Danny best, especially his family, describe him as a man with “a heart of gold and hands of steel.” 

Larger than life, he was a straight-talking, sometimes intimidating presence, but also deeply caring, generous, and fiercely loyal. He worked nearly every day, often with only a few hours’ sleep, dragging his family into the whirlwind of his ambitions – school holidays and Christmases were spent at gas stations, building sites, or behind the counter at Wendy’s.

Despite an intense work ethic and business drive, Danny overcame severe personal hardship. Diagnosed with renal nephritis at 30, (ironically the same disease as his rugby idol Jonah Lomu), he ultimately received a life-saving kidney transplant from his wife – a match that allowed him to live another 25 years, making him one of New Zealand’s longest-surviving transplant patients.

Even amid illness, Danny maintained a relentless routine, crediting his wife and daughters (Danielle and Joanna) as the champions alongside him, and later, his grandchildren, Savannah, Olivia, Danny, Roman and Ariana.

Legacy and Reflection

Danny Lendich’s story is one of ceaseless motion – a life run at “100 miles an hour”. He revolutionised industries, built Auckland’s backbone, gave rise to fast-food culture, and cheered as his teams triumphed both on the field and the racetrack. His presence inspired awe and unquestioned respect; his hands built a city, while his heart held the family and community close.

He was often described as a pillar, not just of his family, but of the wider Auckland community, a man whose large hands may have shown the marks of heavy labour, but whose actions revealed the deeper marks of loyalty, integrity, and love.

Danny’s mantra, “Go quietly,” was a phrase he shared in times of trouble – a quiet wisdom from a man whose life was anything but gentle or silent.

As Joanna recalled at his funeral, people still ask: “How on earth did one man do so much in one lifetime?” The answer lies in tireless effort, deep loyalty, a refusal to quit, and a faith in the value of always giving more. Whether in business, family, or giving back, Danny Lendich remains an enduring example of what it means to build, to serve, and to leave the world stronger than you found it.

“Our pillar has fallen, his legacy lives on. Go quietly Pocivaj u miru.”