STANDING THE
TEST OF TIME:
HAPPY 3OTH BIRTHDAY LANGLANDS MOTORCYCLES
four sta˜ and four models of bike. The ° edgling store was created from Grant’s enthusiasm for motorcycles, the retail experiences he’d ÿ ne-tuned working for Toyota in Tonga, and a love of both Wairarapa’s community and the natural environment in which he’d grown up.
Fast forward to November 2022.
Langlands is 30 years young and going strong. Happy birthday Langlands. Grant is still there leading and supporting the sales team, having handed over the overall management reins to his daughter Amber Greenÿ eld. The store has grown to 26 sta˜ with dozens of products, including:
new and used farm, road, and o˜ -road bikes,
bikes (e-bikes)
On average, only 27 percent of all businesses in New Zealand still exist after 10 years. The survival rate after 10 years for retail businesses is even lower: 21 percent. Langlands Motorcycles has bucked the trend through thick and thin. What’s the secret to its longevity, growth, and success?
“Hard work,” laughs Grant. “Being sensible about our business model. Listening to advice from mentors.”
He says that mentors have gravitated toward him over the years. Grant is a man who likes talking to people but likes listening to them more. “
We have one mouth and two ears,” he says. “We all beneÿ if we use them according to the ratio of one to two.”
Amber and Grant believe the longevity of Langlands is due to several other factors too. “It’s critical to understand the products and their usefulness for customers based on their needs. We take a customer-centric approach,” Amber says.
“And our balanced approach of providing a good service while making a fair proÿ t for the company means we have a band of regular customers,” says Grant. “It’s our customers that keep us going and help us grow.”
Langlands Motorcycles is a company that exists to support you to work and play on the land.
To celebrate its 30th birthday, Langlands is giving away a Honda CRF50 kids’ motorbike and a KEA
farm trailer with crate. To be in to win, either purchase something in the store or drop o˜ a foodbank donation. This allows customers and non-customers alike an equal shot at winning.
MORE THAN JUST MOTORBIKES
Consolidation of Honda brand
Langlands Motorcycles has been selling and servicing Honda bikes since 1992. Farm, road, and o˜road bikes are what Langlands has always done and continues to do. Honda’s ATVs, side-by-sides and motorcycles are designed speciÿ cally for the rural New Zealand environment.
The solid relationship between Langlands and Honda over thirty years has consolidated the store as the region’s go-to place for purchasing new and used bikes to suit each customer’s needs, and for prompt, top-notch servicing.
Its Honda knowledge and expertise is reinforced by several of Langland’s sta˜ being with the store since its early years.
And many more are motorcycle enthusiasts like Grant and his son Jay, who is running Langland’s Greytown store. Sta˜ bring both technical and practical know-how.
Without diluting any of that
Honda expertise and institutional knowledge, Langlands has listened to what its customers have been asking for and added new strings to its bow.
Adding Husqvarna lawn care and power tools to the Langlands toolkit
“Langlands’ business model has always been about what customers need and want,” Amber says. “When we opened the Greytown store we had the opportunity to pick up the Husqvarna brand in the region and to carry over our customer-centric ethos into lawn care and power tools with that brand.”
They’ve since branched out further and now also stock the quality Gardena range for garden care. The Honda power equipment selection has expanded as well.
Another future-facing string in Langlands’ bow is the Husqvarna range of e-bikes.
“Customer demand for electric
bikes is on the rise,” says Amber. The Husqvarna e-bike range was an obvious addition to Langlands’ product o˜ ering, supported by a sales team with push bike expertise. This is the newest and most sophisticated manifestation of the Husqvarna’s century-old ingenuity. Their e-bikes can be bought in store or online.
Between the two stores, Langlands is a one-stop shop for farmers, for owners of lifestyle blocks, for owners of a much-loved section with lawn and garden, and for people who want to hit the roads or go o˜ -road on a motorcycle or an e-bike. Langlands prides itself on being able to meet all needs and price points.
For more information, visit: www.honda-motorcycles.com www.facebook.com/ LanglandsHonda www.facebook.com/ LanglandsGreytown www.husqvarnaebikes.nz
STANDING THE
TEST OF TIME:
HAPPY 3OTH BIRTHDAY LANGLANDS MOTORCYCLES
four sta˜ and four models of bike. The ° edgling store was created from Grant’s enthusiasm for motorcycles, the retail experiences he’d ÿ ne-tuned working for Toyota in Tonga, and a love of both Wairarapa’s community and the natural environment in which he’d grown up.
Fast forward to November 2022.
Langlands is 30 years young and going strong. Happy birthday Langlands. Grant is still there leading and supporting the sales team, having handed over the overall management reins to his daughter Amber Greenÿ eld. The store has grown to 26 sta˜ with dozens of products, including:
new and used farm, road, and o˜ -road bikes,
bikes (e-bikes)
On average, only 27 percent of all businesses in New Zealand still exist after 10 years. The survival rate after 10 years for retail businesses is even lower: 21 percent. Langlands Motorcycles has bucked the trend through thick and thin. What’s the secret to its longevity, growth, and success?
“Hard work,” laughs Grant. “Being sensible about our business model. Listening to advice from mentors.”
He says that mentors have gravitated toward him over the years. Grant is a man who likes talking to people but likes listening to them more. “
We have one mouth and two ears,” he says. “We all beneÿ if we use them according to the ratio of one to two.”
Amber and Grant believe the longevity of Langlands is due to several other factors too. “It’s critical to understand the products and their usefulness for customers based on their needs. We take a customer-centric approach,” Amber says.
“And our balanced approach of providing a good service while making a fair proÿ t for the company means we have a band of regular customers,” says Grant. “It’s our customers that keep us going and help us grow.”
Langlands Motorcycles is a company that exists to support you to work and play on the land.
To celebrate its 30th birthday, Langlands is giving away a Honda CRF50 kids’ motorbike and a KEA
farm trailer with crate. To be in to win, either purchase something in the store or drop o˜ a foodbank donation. This allows customers and non-customers alike an equal shot at winning.
MORE THAN JUST MOTORBIKES
Consolidation of Honda brand
Langlands Motorcycles has been selling and servicing Honda bikes since 1992. Farm, road, and o˜road bikes are what Langlands has always done and continues to do. Honda’s ATVs, side-by-sides and motorcycles are designed speciÿ cally for the rural New Zealand environment.
The solid relationship between Langlands and Honda over thirty years has consolidated the store as the region’s go-to place for purchasing new and used bikes to suit each customer’s needs, and for prompt, top-notch servicing.
Its Honda knowledge and expertise is reinforced by several of Langland’s sta˜ being with the store since its early years.
And many more are motorcycle enthusiasts like Grant and his son Jay, who is running Langland’s Greytown store. Sta˜ bring both technical and practical know-how.
Without diluting any of that
Honda expertise and institutional knowledge, Langlands has listened to what its customers have been asking for and added new strings to its bow.
Adding Husqvarna lawn care and power tools to the Langlands toolkit
“Langlands’ business model has always been about what customers need and want,” Amber says. “When we opened the Greytown store we had the opportunity to pick up the Husqvarna brand in the region and to carry over our customer-centric ethos into lawn care and power tools with that brand.”
They’ve since branched out further and now also stock the quality Gardena range for garden care. The Honda power equipment selection has expanded as well.
Another future-facing string in Langlands’ bow is the Husqvarna range of e-bikes.
“Customer demand for electric
bikes is on the rise,” says Amber. The Husqvarna e-bike range was an obvious addition to Langlands’ product o˜ ering, supported by a sales team with push bike expertise. This is the newest and most sophisticated manifestation of the Husqvarna’s century-old ingenuity. Their e-bikes can be bought in store or online.
Between the two stores, Langlands is a one-stop shop for farmers, for owners of lifestyle blocks, for owners of a much-loved section with lawn and garden, and for people who want to hit the roads or go o˜ -road on a motorcycle or an e-bike. Langlands prides itself on being able to meet all needs and price points.
For more information, visit: www.honda-motorcycles.com www.facebook.com/ LanglandsHonda www.facebook.com/ LanglandsGreytown www.husqvarnaebikes.nz
YIN & YANG APPROACH TO AN EXCEPTIONAL BUSINESS
Yin and Yang are ancient concepts referring to interconnected forces that, together, keep chaos at bay.
Grant and Amber, working as a team, re˜ ect Yin and Yang in spades.
“I feel it, Amber sees it,” Grant says.
“Amber is the elbow grease for the business, and I am its mouthpiece.”
With Grant and Amber’s complementary temperaments and skill sets at the helm, Langlands has grown from four sta° in 1992
to 26 sta° today. Exactly three percent of all businesses in New Zealand have more than 20 sta° and Langlands is one of those.
What an extraordinary success story. The melding of Grant’s
STABILITY & OLD SCHOOL VALUES ACROSS THIRTY YEARS
PROFILE GRANT LANGLANDS
schedule. It wasn’t long, however, before he decided to turn his passion for Honda motorcycles into his own business.
old school values and Amber’s technical innovation and forwardlooking approach to business (all underpinned by hard work) has paid o° in Wairarapa’s rural community.
“Langlands is always a work in progress,” Grant says. “We trust that things will keep falling into place.”
by his wife, near snow covered mountains or wild native bush. After returning to New Zealand from Toyota in Tonga all those years ago to play basketball for Wairarapa’s regional team, Grant took a day job with Kennedy Honda that worked around his basketball training
“I’ve handed the reins over to Amber now and I can’t keep tugging on them,” says Grant.
“As ‘old blood’ with considerable experience, however, am staying around for a while to support the ‘new blood’ as Langlands culture is freshened, and forward-looking decisions are made.”
PROFILE RUTH LANGLANDS
“She keeps me going,” Grant says, talking about his wife Ruth.
While Grant has worked at Langlands six days a week over many decades, Ruth has “kept the home ÿ res burning” and made sure Grant is fed. In addition, “Ruth is always there to roll her sleeves up and support the business when its needed,” says Amber.
Ruth is known for her roles in the community, too. She’s a Rotarian, collects food for the foodbanks,
is a mentor for learner drivers, is a trained nurse and so much more.
In her spare time, Ruth operates ‘Langour BnB’, recently granted super host status by Airbnb.
And Ruth’s love of motorbike touring with husband Grantaround Europe, various Paciÿ c islands, and New Zealand – can be seen from the trail of photos on her Facebook page.
INNOVATION AND LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
PROFILE AMBER GREENFIELD PROFILE JAY LANGLANDS
Amber initially worked in the family business at the end of each school day, cleaning the ˛ oors.
Once she’d ÿ nished at high school, Amber took on a role in Langlands’ parts department for what was intended to be her gap year between school and university. Having excelled in mathematics and other subjects to bursary level, Amber’s orientation towards numbers soon saw her becoming more hands on and invested in the family business. She has since nailed numerous business and customer service courses and worked in every part of the business, before picking up the overall management reins from her father.
Only 24 percent of working women in New Zealand hold senior leadership positions according to a 2021 Workplace Diversity Survey. Still young, and raising a family, Amber holds a leadership role in Langlands uncommon for women, and she’s worked her way up from the bottom.
After his building apprenticeship and stints in the Army and as a hunting tour guide in Canada, Jay returned to New Zealand as COVID hit and before the borders closed. Jay’s arrival coincided with Langlands’ purchase of land at the northern end of Greytown. “We were building a shop for South Wairarapa customers,” says Amber, “so they didn’t have to come all the way to Masterton to have their bikes serviced.”
“All the cards fell into place,” Grant says. Once a rolling stone, Jay is committed to being in the district. There is the matter of a local girlfriend helping to keep Jay in place. But his role managing the Greytown store is also satisfying, building on an inherited passion for Honda bikes. Jay has observed many Wellingtonians selling up and moving to small lifestyle lots in the region over the past two years.
“The need for good quality ride-on lawnmowers and land care products of all types continues to grow,” Jay says.
“Langlands can meet those needs. We also service the machines on site.”
YIN & YANG APPROACH TO AN EXCEPTIONAL BUSINESS
Yin and Yang are ancient concepts referring to interconnected forces that, together, keep chaos at bay.
Grant and Amber, working as a team, re˜ ect Yin and Yang in spades.
“I feel it, Amber sees it,” Grant says.
“Amber is the elbow grease for the business, and I am its mouthpiece.”
With Grant and Amber’s complementary temperaments and skill sets at the helm, Langlands has grown from four sta° in 1992
to 26 sta° today. Exactly three percent of all businesses in New Zealand have more than 20 sta° and Langlands is one of those.
What an extraordinary success story. The melding of Grant’s
STABILITY & OLD SCHOOL VALUES ACROSS THIRTY YEARS
PROFILE GRANT LANGLANDS
schedule. It wasn’t long, however, before he decided to turn his passion for Honda motorcycles into his own business.
old school values and Amber’s technical innovation and forwardlooking approach to business (all underpinned by hard work) has paid o° in Wairarapa’s rural community.
“Langlands is always a work in progress,” Grant says. “We trust that things will keep falling into place.”
by his wife, near snow covered mountains or wild native bush. After returning to New Zealand from Toyota in Tonga all those years ago to play basketball for Wairarapa’s regional team, Grant took a day job with Kennedy Honda that worked around his basketball training
“I’ve handed the reins over to Amber now and I can’t keep tugging on them,” says Grant.
“As ‘old blood’ with considerable experience, however, am staying around for a while to support the ‘new blood’ as Langlands culture is freshened, and forward-looking decisions are made.”
PROFILE RUTH LANGLANDS
“She keeps me going,” Grant says, talking about his wife Ruth.
While Grant has worked at Langlands six days a week over many decades, Ruth has “kept the home ÿ res burning” and made sure Grant is fed. In addition, “Ruth is always there to roll her sleeves up and support the business when its needed,” says Amber.
Ruth is known for her roles in the community, too. She’s a Rotarian, collects food for the foodbanks,
is a mentor for learner drivers, is a trained nurse and so much more.
In her spare time, Ruth operates ‘Langour BnB’, recently granted super host status by Airbnb.
And Ruth’s love of motorbike touring with husband Grantaround Europe, various Paciÿ c islands, and New Zealand – can be seen from the trail of photos on her Facebook page.
INNOVATION AND LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
PROFILE AMBER GREENFIELD PROFILE JAY LANGLANDS
Amber initially worked in the family business at the end of each school day, cleaning the ˛ oors.
Once she’d ÿ nished at high school, Amber took on a role in Langlands’ parts department for what was intended to be her gap year between school and university. Having excelled in mathematics and other subjects to bursary level, Amber’s orientation towards numbers soon saw her becoming more hands on and invested in the family business. She has since nailed numerous business and customer service courses and worked in every part of the business, before picking up the overall management reins from her father.
Only 24 percent of working women in New Zealand hold senior leadership positions according to a 2021 Workplace Diversity Survey. Still young, and raising a family, Amber holds a leadership role in Langlands uncommon for women, and she’s worked her way up from the bottom.
After his building apprenticeship and stints in the Army and as a hunting tour guide in Canada, Jay returned to New Zealand as COVID hit and before the borders closed. Jay’s arrival coincided with Langlands’ purchase of land at the northern end of Greytown. “We were building a shop for South Wairarapa customers,” says Amber, “so they didn’t have to come all the way to Masterton to have their bikes serviced.”
“All the cards fell into place,” Grant says. Once a rolling stone, Jay is committed to being in the district. There is the matter of a local girlfriend helping to keep Jay in place. But his role managing the Greytown store is also satisfying, building on an inherited passion for Honda bikes. Jay has observed many Wellingtonians selling up and moving to small lifestyle lots in the region over the past two years.
“The need for good quality ride-on lawnmowers and land care products of all types continues to grow,” Jay says.
“Langlands can meet those needs. We also service the machines on site.”
GIVING OUT AND GETTING BACK
“Please come on into our place and have a look around,” Grant says. “Our shop is our lounge, our r˝ma noho, and we’d like to welcome you. Tell us what you need, and we’ll see how we can help.”
Consistent with its principle of delivering on what people in the community want and need, Langlands has always been integrated into the local community.
The business supports local fundraising e˜ orts and community events, donates to Heart Kids, and gets involved with dog trials, horse shows, local ÿ shing competitions, rugby clubs, and more.
In 2016, Grant donated a quadbike to the Riversdale Beach Surf Lifesaving Club after the club’s bike was stolen.
The great thing about integration into the community is reciprocity.
Customers banded together to support Langlands in 2000, for example, when an arsonist destroyed all its stock both new and used.
After the ÿ re, many customers rang to order a new bike and provide their old bike as a trade-in.
“Every time we’re on our knees,” Grant says, “customers are there to support us.”
Thanks to its customers, Langlands weathered the arson in 2000 just as it did the COVID pandemic.
Aligned with its reciprocity ethos, Langlands supported local businesses during the pandemic (including the Wairarapa TimesAge) so we could all weather that storm together.
Langlands is promoting and celebrating its 30-year anniversary with a giveaway - either a Honda CRF50 kids’ motorbike or a KEA farm trailer with crate. Purchase something in store or drop o˜ a foodbank donation to win.
RANGE
RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT JOBS
“To be able to deliver the quality service Langlands is known for, it is essential to have the right people in the right jobs,” Grant says.
Product knowledge is paramount whether working in the sales, servicing, or parts departments.
Amber says that sta˜ “understand our products and their beneÿ ts for di˜ erent types of land and land uses and so can apply our customer-centric ethos.”
All Langlands’ sta˜ from the top down, are committed to building relationships with customers so they can provide those customers with a good service.
And Langlands’ management are committed to treating their
workforce well. Some sta˜ members have been on the Langlands’ journey with Grant for most of the company’s 30 years.
Langlands promotes work-life balance and encourages sta˜ to attend their kids’ sport and other events. Sta˜ can bring their dogs to work because they reduce stress, improve productivity and morale, and encourage teamwork.
“Putting the hours in is important,” says Grant, “But so is getting the right ÿ t and being exible.”
Managing a business is a balance of many moving parts, including having the right sta˜ at the right time in the right jobs. If anyone is adept at that balance it is Grant Langlands and Amber Greenÿ eld.
GIVING OUT AND GETTING BACK
“Please come on into our place and have a look around,” Grant says. “Our shop is our lounge, our r˝ma noho, and we’d like to welcome you. Tell us what you need, and we’ll see how we can help.”
Consistent with its principle of delivering on what people in the community want and need, Langlands has always been integrated into the local community.
The business supports local fundraising e˜ orts and community events, donates to Heart Kids, and gets involved with dog trials, horse shows, local ÿ shing competitions, rugby clubs, and more.
In 2016, Grant donated a quadbike to the Riversdale Beach Surf Lifesaving Club after the club’s bike was stolen.
The great thing about integration into the community is reciprocity.
Customers banded together to support Langlands in 2000, for example, when an arsonist destroyed all its stock both new and used.
After the ÿ re, many customers rang to order a new bike and provide their old bike as a trade-in.
“Every time we’re on our knees,” Grant says, “customers are there to support us.”
Thanks to its customers, Langlands weathered the arson in 2000 just as it did the COVID pandemic.
Aligned with its reciprocity ethos, Langlands supported local businesses during the pandemic (including the Wairarapa TimesAge) so we could all weather that storm together.
Langlands is promoting and celebrating its 30-year anniversary with a giveaway - either a Honda CRF50 kids’ motorbike or a KEA farm trailer with crate. Purchase something in store or drop o˜ a foodbank donation to win.
RANGE
RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT JOBS
“To be able to deliver the quality service Langlands is known for, it is essential to have the right people in the right jobs,” Grant says.
Product knowledge is paramount whether working in the sales, servicing, or parts departments.
Amber says that sta˜ “understand our products and their beneÿ ts for di˜ erent types of land and land uses and so can apply our customer-centric ethos.”
All Langlands’ sta˜ from the top down, are committed to building relationships with customers so they can provide those customers with a good service.
And Langlands’ management are committed to treating their
workforce well. Some sta˜ members have been on the Langlands’ journey with Grant for most of the company’s 30 years.
Langlands promotes work-life balance and encourages sta˜ to attend their kids’ sport and other events. Sta˜ can bring their dogs to work because they reduce stress, improve productivity and morale, and encourage teamwork.
“Putting the hours in is important,” says Grant, “But so is getting the right ÿ t and being exible.”
Managing a business is a balance of many moving parts, including having the right sta˜ at the right time in the right jobs. If anyone is adept at that balance it is Grant Langlands and Amber Greenÿ eld.
