5 minute read
Lifetime commitment
When Mark Whitehead was made a Life Member of Master Plumbers in 2019, he joined a special band of people he’d always admired for their dedication to the plumbing industry. We caught up with Mark about his own long-standing contribution.
M
ark Whitehead decided to embark on a career in plumbing after working as a labourer on a building site one summer. Nearly 50 years later, he has his own well-established business in Christchurch and has played a major part in helping to shape the industry nationwide.
The 65-year-old has held numerous governance roles over the years, including being a President and Board Member of Master Plumbers, a Director and Chairman of Masterlink, a Director of the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board, and a Director of the Plumbing, Gasfitting and Drainlaying ITO.
He is still a member and Director of NZPM, which owns Plumbing World, a member of the Institute of Directors NZ, and remains keen to continue contributing.
“I have done it for many years because I love what I do and it’s one way of paying back for what offers a great lifestyle,” he says. “I’m still involved in the training field and think I have got something to offer. I might be pale and male, but I do not see myself as stale.
“I’m aware of the changes of the younger generation and the challenges of training them and keeping them engaged. As long as someone wants me, I’ll continue to contribute.”
Apprentice to business owner
Mark’s mother wanted him to attend university and become an accountant, but he chose plumbing after seeing various trades close-up during the Christmas holidays after he finished school. He says plumbing stood out because of the diversity of the job, and he started an apprenticeship with White and Taylor Plumbers in Christchurch in 1973.
A few years later he married Nicola, who was studying to be a physio in Dunedin at the time. Mark moved south with her AUTHOR: MATTHEW LOWE
Mark Whitehead and his wife Nicola at the 2019 New Zealand Plumbing Awards, celebrating Mark’s Master Plumbers Life Membership.
and joined Foleys for the final year of his apprenticeship before the couple returned to Christchurch in 1978 and he started his own business soon after.
“I was just a one-man band in the beginning before going into partnership and calling the company Romar Plumbing,” says Mark. “The name changed again when I ended up working with someone else before it eventually became Whitehead Plumbing, and that’s how it has remained.”
Mark notes covering a diverse range of plumbing skills has been key to the business surviving through some tough times, including the global financial crisis, the Christchurch earthquakes and the coronavirus pandemic.
He says it also allows people working for him to experience more variety, with the company currently employing 25 people, including five apprentices. “I’m still involved with the company but not as much as I used to be. I have a succession plan in place and want to make sure when I’m not as actively involved it’s in a good state for the next generation. I want to see not only the business I have got thrive, but the industry as well.”
On that front, Mark was a representative of the Canterbury Master Plumbers Association before being elected while in his twenties onto the National Council. He helped oversee the transition to the Board system that operates today and says it was “amazing” to be made a Life Member in 2019—the year he stepped down from the Board—in recognition of his service.
“I’ve done what I’ve done because I think Master Plumbers is a fantastic organisation and it’s a great industry that we’re in. There are people who have gone before me and
been made Life Members who I have always held in awe for what they’ve done and it’s nice to be considered on the same level.”
He advocates people joining industry organisations so they can network and learn from other tradespeople. “When you start in business it can be lonely but through organisations such as Master Plumbers you can share views and problems with others.”
The main changes he has seen during his career have been around technology and regulations, but he says the basic entry requirements for aspiring plumbers has also shifted. “You have got to have a higher level of knowledge and academic intelligence to be a plumber, gasfitter or drainlayer these days.
“The actual doing of the job and products we use has made it simpler, but you’ve got to use the right product in the right situation to achieve the right outcome.”
It takes two
Along with his commitment to the world of plumbing, Mark notes a key factor to his longevity in the industry has been the support of his wife. “Most of us have a partner who
Mark at the 2019 NZ Plumbing Conference in Queensland with business partner Paul Olsen. Whitehead Plumbing currently employs 25, including five apprentices.
does a huge amount behind the scenes that is not recognised by others,” he says. “You’re busy with industry life and someone keeps the family ticking along and they should not be forgotten. They do a lot of stuff alone because you’re tied up with business so often. I’ve had some fun and interesting times as a plumber and met some great people through Master Plumbers and the industry. It’s been a great ride and it hasn’t finished yet.”
Since this article was written, Mark has started treatment for cancer and we wish him all the best.
