Region news - Cook Strait

Around 30 people attend the event from staff, friends, family and MTA Kaimai committee members. Richard and best mate Mike Wilkins started Underwood and Wilkins in 1973 a business born out of a love of motorcycles, they went on to build a solid following in the region and supported a range of motorcycling events over the decades.

MTA wishes Richard all the best for his retirement.

Ellie - Craig's guiding hand

MTA’s Good Sort winner for the Cook Strait region this month is Ellie Timihau, who was nominated by MTA member North City Motors Porirua owner Craig Nicol. Craig couldn’t speak highly enough of Ellie, who not only looks after the business’s accounts, she also goes that extra mile to make sure the place runs smoothly.

“Ellie is business focused, keeps the team informed and is always ready to pitch in when needed,” Craig says.

“Ellie does background office support, is office manager and accounts manager, looks after everyone and manages payments.”

“She even organised her overseas holiday around the 20th of the month so she could be at work to make creditor payments plus she provides me with ‘adult supervision’ to pre-empting mistakes.”

“At 72, she is a bundle of energy.”

Ellie started working for Craig when he bought the business eight years ago. He knew Ellie through a mutual friend, and a chance meeting at Mitre 10 got him thinking she was just what the business needed.

“Ellie had retired from being an accountant and was looking for something to do; I call her the guiding hand,” he says.

“I had quite a high-pressure job for 20 years as CFO for IndeServe and I retired when I was 60,” Ellie says.

“I had three months off looking after my daughter, who had cancer for six years, and after that decided, I didn’t want to work fulltime anymore and thought I would look around for a part-time job.”

For Craig, her contribution to the business has been a godsend. He says she was instrumental in reducing costs with the likes of waste disposal and utilities.

“One of the big savings she made was on our waste management; she saved close to $120 a month by sorting out a different contractor. that’s around $1,500 a year.

“She’s like a little Fox Terrier or Bull Terrier and manages to accomplish an eight-hour day in five hours,” says Craig.

Ellie was pretty familiar with the workings of a workshop; her husband is a mechanic and has worked from their home garage for the past 20 years.

“It is a no-stress job and I keep pretty busy outside work too; we look after three little dogs, and I play bowls and work on sponsorship for the club and also clean the kitchen at the bowling club.

“It’s a good job and I do enjoy it, although I don’t know if I will still be working when I’m 80, but we’ll see!” Ellie adds.