Fleet Focus

While family ownership is pretty much the norm for rural transport companies, mid-Canterbury’s Ellesmere Transport breaks the mould somewhat. Murray Righton, who along with sons Mark and Paul is one of the company’s three director/shareholders, began there 60 years ago simply as an employee, before progressing to management positions, then minority shareholder and ultimately to outright ownership.

Ellesmere has a strongly rural profile, with just over half of its around 40 trucks dedicated to livestock work. They’re backed up by a dozen spreaders, half a dozen bulk units and four flat decks. Truck brands are primarily European, split between Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Scania.

Ian Newey’s passion for trucking becomes obvious within a few minutes of meeting him.

He’s one of those truckers who grew up in the cab of his dad’s truck. As a kid, it was all he wanted to do — drive a cement tanker, like his dad. Dad Keith Newey owned a fleet of four trucks carting cement. At 22, Ian got the chance to make his lifetime ambition come true, driving one of his dad’s trucks. “I lasted six months,” says Ian. “I got bored.”  

So, cement tankers didn’t have the x-factor, but another budding career had pointed him in the right direction. He had left school at 16 and gone into forestry. He did a government-funded TOPS training course in farm forestry while h... ... 

The enthusiasm that Prestige Building Removals staff have for their work quickly becomes evident when they reach for their phones and begin scrolling through photos of recent jobs.

There are pictures of brightly lit trucks working the highways in the small hours, hi-tech trailers perched in remarkable situations and houses re-positioned with spectacular views.

The pedigree of the Hamilton-based company goes back almost 50 years. Pat “Paddy” O’Sullivan owned and ran the business for 47 years before retiring and selling to Jason Barnes.

“I bought the business three years ago. Paddy retired in his early eighties, and we kept the same name, re-branded and then started in... ...