2 weeks Ago By Shayne Currie
David Higgins has driven some of NZ’s biggest events - including Synthony and Black Clash - and drawn big global names such as Boris Johnson. How did a wild genius who grew up poor - and only met his dad when he was 30 - build such a successful events empire? This story, first published last month has been updated ahead of the Synthony Festival in Auckland on Saturday. In the middle of a hot and heaving Auckland Domain last year - among tens of thousands of Synthony concert fans and dancing party people - there was a tiny and informal cordoned-off zone, with a couple of outdoor seats and room for perhaps half a dozen people.
It was labelled the VVVIP area and not part of official ticketing. Inside the ropes was its very special guest - Bridget Higgins, the 75-year-old mum of Duco Events owner and Synthony overlord David Higgins. Higgins has always been close to his mum, especially growing up with an absent father.
He was 30 when he first met his dad; it was a short-lived reunion - he doesn’t know if he’s even still alive. But mum Bridget has been a critical person in his life - as far back as a seven-year-old at Kohimarama Primary School, he knew he wanted to give back to her..
