Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe has been named as the country's top business executive for 2009, at an awards ceremony in Auckland.

The Top 200 Company Awards have been running for 20 years.

The Air New Zealand high-flyer took the title ahead of Jim Delegat, the managing director of Delegat's Group, and Transpower's New Zealand chief executive Patrick Strange.

The judges said Mr Fyfe's open and very personal style of leadership has been inspirational for the airline and he has shown the ability to front up in the toughest of times and make tough decisions.

The Abano Healthcare Group was named company of the year and John Palmer, the chair of Air New Zealand and Solid Energy, won chairperson of the year.