Kiwi business icon Sir Michael Hill is being remembered as one-of-a-kind.

He died today aged 86, after a cancer battle.

He opened his first jewellery store in Whangārei and grew the brand globally to Australia and Canada.

He's well-known for his championship Queenstown golf course 'the Hills' and for founding an international violin competition.

Company chair Rob Fyfe says Hill was always a student and never stopped learning.

"Whatever he turned his mind to, he brought a vision, a creativity, a sense of aesthetic and design."

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