JULY 2013
STAFF NEWS Hello, Goodbye. ‘Hello’ firstly to those staff who have recently joined Fullers - let me introduce myself - I’m the quiet one in head office, seen only occasionally. So its a sad ‘goodbye’ to the many of you that I do know as I retire from Fullers in in four weeks’ time on the 30th August having reached that stage in life. For the record, I have been with Fullers (initially Gulf Ferries which became Fullers) for over 23 years. Looking back on it I can say that it has been my privilege to work with such a dedicated and talented group and in my view you are the best there is. That 23 years covered a period of big change for Fullers growing in numerous and diverse ways into the organisation we have today. Along the way we bought 17 boats and sold 12 , started 3 new ferry servicers ourselves and acquired five from others, sold properties and bus companies; the list goes on. I still remember my first day at Fullers – Doug Hudson showed me around and introduced me to the team of the day, including: Lester Sowerby, Andy Patterson, Grant Watkin, Dave Hutson and Brian Grove. These are the five staff, plus Doug, that are all still with Fullers today. Doug’s father, George, employed me and I certainly hit the ground running from day one! We were in the early stages of a restructure of the company, its systems and its fleet. It is fair to say that the shareholders in those days, took commercial risks that were quite breath-taking in their daring! But we did it, and we did it as a team and at times in the face of competition on the water.
I’m the quiet one in Head Office
We have what we have today because of what we did back then. But looking forward we know that the process of change will repeat itself, it is only the challenges that will be different; which is where you good people come in. There is no question in my mind that this is a very complex and demanding business to be in. At the same time it is addictive and rewarding for those that have invested their time and passion over the years to create the modern Fullers. I will leave happy to have worked with you and those that have gone before you, all of us part of the wider Fullers family. Take care and thank you, best wishes to you all for your futures.
Mike
We have double passes to give away to staff - see overleaf for details
It seems Waiheke Bus Co doesn’t discriminate against passengers including ” Martys Chicken Man”. The problem is the chickens are notorious for not having the right bus fare. One drumstick per stage sounds fair?
Bus Coach Association CONFERENCE 2013 QUEENSTOWN
Open roof buses used in Queenstown
ON A BEAUTIFUL AUCKLAND morning we boarded our plane for Queenstown to attend the BCA Conference.
The approach to Queenstown is fantastic, winding through the mountains and then over Lake Wakatipu, touching down safely at the airport.
caused the Airport to close. More stranded Conference goers! Kiwi resourcefulness, meant agendas were re-organised and we had a very full and informative day.
Sunday morning the temperature was 7 degrees below as we boarded the buses to the venue and following the official opening, were informed the flight from Auckland had been delayed. Douglas Hudson and other conference members were on onboard as it tried to land and had been hit with a sideways wind sheer, giving all on board a bit of a scare! The pilot took off again and the plane landed in Christchurch.
The evening events were held at Skyline and Walter Peak Station where we enjoyed stunning scenery and excellent food. You may think this was all fun and frivolity, but believe me there was as much work done in the evenings as there was during the day.
Mr Andrew Richie, the BCA President, also in this group, made arrangements for a bus to take them through to Queenstown. After a very long day a tired group arrived at the conference hotel. Adding to the drama, many of the guest speakers were from Wellington and the citys’ notorious wind
On the last evening we were treated to a Kiwiana Evening hosted by MAN at the Conference hotel. This event rounded off a hugely informative and useful conference. For me, this was the first time I have attended this conference as Manager of Waiheke Bus Company, and I am happy to report that it was of amazing benefit personally and will also assist me in my day to day role. Neil Clooney, Manager Waiheke Bus Company
Waiheke over 60s group ‘Hip-Operation’ dance group are making headlines across the world! The Hip Op-eration Crew is the World’s Oldest Hip Hop Dance Group consisting of 37 senior citizens aged between 66 and 96 years old. The group has been invited to perform at the World Hip-Hop Championships in Las Vegas in August, 2013 and already are a hit on You Tube. The team seen here at the Matiatia ferry terminal with a couple of ‘bright young imposters’ from the Fullers team! (Back row 5th from left, Michelle and 3rd from left, Jim).
Summer Planning is underway! As the winter moves on we’re now looking towards summer
For your chance to win double passes to the international smash hit stage show ‘Stomp’ - all the way from the UK - send us an email with your name and contact to competitions@fullers.co.nz
2013/14 for revamping, refreshing and reviewing all our publications including timetables, maps and brochures for both Fullers and 360 Discovery. If you have suggestions that in your daily work feel are worth talking about with us in the way we communicate or portray our destinations please don’t hesitate to contact marketing@fullers.co.nz
REWARD OFFERED!
Do you have a business idea that you believe will work within our company?
Put your thoughts for potential business opportunities or just a great improvement briefly on an email. If we feel your idea has potential we will talk.
contact: marketing@fullers.co.nz
Woo hoo!! Coromandel crews congratulated for being consistently brilliant! The annual International Travel College of NZ (ITC) Graduation night was held at the Langham Hotel on 4th July. Fullers Customer Service Consultants celebrated their successes, proudly supported by Ticketing Manager Ange Sina and HR Coordinator Nathan Mehlhopt. From left: Sheenam Deo and Malia Lanumata both received Level 4 Certificate in International Travel & Tourism; Rosita Ahio gained a Level 5 Diploma in Tourism & Travel Management and Kristina Espinosa also graduated with a Level 5 Diploma, with Distinction. Congratulations to all!
Just a few quick words to let you know how much we appreciated your service last Saturday on our day trip to Coromandel. Your staff are fabulous, very informative and friendly and the planning was great. We will be recommending this trip to others. Thanks again
- Jan and Tony Holden, Timaru. I want to say a great BIG thank you to all the bus and boat crew for an amazing job on my trip to/from The Coromandel. Both crews were great and I have nothing but praise for them.. Travelling with my severely Autistic daughter the delays on Sunday could have caused problems for her, however, due to the great organisation and brilliant staff, everything worked out fantastically! Grateful thanks
- Angela Clark, Auckland.
Maritime New Zealand
impressed with our crew! Observers from Maritime New Zealand expressed their admiration with the way the drills were conducted during a recent safety training session carried out on board the Quickcat in July. Particularly impressive was the way senior crew displayed their leaderships skills. The crew were: Callum Burson – Master ; Travis Dow, Engineer; Amanda Manson, SS; Sarah-Lee White, OBS; Jordan Turner, OBS and Jackie Gibson, OBS. Well done to Marine Manager Sean Patterson for an overall great result! Seen here at Matiatia in 1981, the old Oneroa bus company fleet. Fullers bought the company the same year, including a workforce on strike for six weeks protesting the unfair dismissal of a fellow driver.
Hi there, I just want to let you know that we had a brilliant experience on our trip back on the ferry today. We were a group of about 20 cyclists and we are aware that people and their bikes can be a real inconvenience but the staff were outstanding! They were welcoming, helpful and very accommodating. Please pass on our thanks to them. We really appreciated the service. Great job thank you. - Kellee
Life at Fullers The Information Technology team I love working in IT, not the technology part - that is mostly frustrating - but the fact that it touches every part of the business and I get to interact with people from every part of our business. This is arguably the part of the Galaxy implementation I have enjoyed the most, being able to interact with our crew and to share in a small part of what they do every day. My experience to date has impressed upon me just how good our staff are and how hard they work. In what must often be difficult situations crew, ticket staff and duty managers alike have soldiered on and persisted. In the book "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" the guide itself is praised as it is full of useful information but mostly because it has the words "Don't Panic" written on the back. Wise words indeed and words which proved very useful in the early days of the project. The level heads displayed by those who were first exposed to Galaxy is a significant part of why the initial launch went so well. As we move on with the project we are finding new challenges (the odd ticket presents a mysterious prompt, holding the queue up). The odd tablet freezes just when things were looking good and I am sure there are more Please, please, please keep the feedback coming ! We cannot promise to fix everything straight away but we are listening!
surprises to come. To date we have done well in identifying issues and finding solutions - this has been in no small part due to the feed- back we have received from crew and ticket staff alike. Special thanks need to go to the IT crew for the efforts they have gone to in getting things in place. Alston has worked non-stop fighting fires and finding solutions. I don't think a day has gone by in the last month when he has not worked on the project. Likewise Chris, Simran and Kefu have put their hearts and souls into the project and are a big part of the reason we have made it this far. Looking forward we are working on ways to make validation more effective. There are known issues with the way things work now and we are continuing to identify more efficient ways of getting the right people on the right boat with the right ticket in a reasonable timeframe. Some of these challenges are not insignificant - we are a very dynamic and complicated business with numerous variables to consider. This very quickly means a one size fits all approach doesn't always work. Whilst we continue to work on these issues we will continue to interact with you all and to provide support wherever we can. - Simon Ford, Fullers Manager IT
Helicopter Winners! Certified helicopter simulator session: Juliette Slade; Luke Galuszewski Berths on board the helicopter: Christine Tofilau; Paul Brunton; John Pritchard; Joe Kelly; Valerie Boylan; Shaun Oliver; Shaun Holmes; Peter Snowden. INFORMATION WILL BE SENT ONCE LIAISON WITH WESTPAC RESCUE IS COMPLETE.
Move over Sky Tower!
To all involved in the Pop-Up Dining ‘experience’ earlier this month, organiser Ben sent through his thanks: “really appreciate the effort you all put in to make this pop-up dining event onboard the Kea possible. We couldn't have hoped for it to go better !” Cheers Ben. Quick thinking by OBS Fletcher Adams in identifying a faulty light fixture onboard the Superflyte meant a rapid and professional response to a potential danger to customers and crew. Well done Fletch! Praises were sung for the crew of the Harbour Cruise on Sunday by a couple who experienced a very professional team and well delivered commentary. Good work - Jason Marshall, Will McKinstry and Kim Tonkin.
Congratulations Ellie Faulkner and Darren Litfler who are proud new parents with a royal link! Baby Ruby was born at the same time as the new Prince George and as a celebration the Tiger Cat crew lit up the vessel in pretty pink!
Special thanks to Karla Rodgers and James Gear for their huge effort with the Galaxy training and the creation of the working manual. And farewell Karla, who has departed for the ‘mainland’ to take up a role with Milford Sound Real Journeys as their Cruise Co-ordinator. Good luck and thanks for all your hard work Karla!