Our People

At the ripe old age of 14, Darrell got permission to leave school, buy a pair of work boots, and get stuck into sawmilling with his Dad, Geoff. Darrell is the fourth generation of his family to be involved in this business.

Under his ownership, the company has developed from a small processor employing extended family on Pigs Head Road, to a two-site operation that employs almost 70 people within the Whangarei and Waitakere communities.

Darrell has spent almost 50 years in the thick of the business. While it’s still not unusual to see him cruising around the Kauri yard on a forklift keeping an eye on things, he is finally starting to take some time for himself and ease into semi-retirement. Never content with sitting around for too long though, Darrell splits his spare time between bashing away at a golf ball chasing that elusive single-digit handicap or bashing away at his drum kit chasing that elusive Mel Gaynor drum solo.

After finishing up at uni, Felice moved home intending to work in the family business for only as long as it took to save money for an OE. Starting with operating the Boiler on the dreaded weekend shift, it wasn’t long before she discovered that the practical hands-on work suited her far better than business studies ever did.

Felice never went on that OE, instead preferring to spend the best part of a decade working in different Drymill production centres, including completing a Timber Machining apprenticeship. Felice has a particular passion for people and company culture. She is excited to support and lead an already capable and cohesive team move towards the company mission and achieve each of their individual goals.

Outside of work, you’ll find Felice mucking around with her old Mark II Cortina and trying to find a moderated balance between Chardonnay consumption and long-distance trail running, with a 100 km distance her personal best.

After ten years working in Sawdoctoring and Sawmilling production, Jeremy transitioned over to the sales team in 2018, to become our primary rep on the road. Given his processing background, Jeremy is an excellent source of technical advice for our timber customers and is great at helping them problem-solve through tricky situations or enquiries.

Jeremy enjoys getting out to see customers and has developed strong relationships with new and existing customers through his genuine and relaxed approach. You don’t need to ask him twice to take a few customers out for a more social catch up, particularly if the races are involved.

Even though he doesn’t have the professional rugby playing pedigree that Gus has, Jeremy still chooses to ignore old injuries and warning signs and get out and play rugby for our beloved Hikurangi on the weekends. He also has a classic car in the form of a Ford Galaxie that he imported from America and has spent countless of hours rebuilding.

Hailing from the island nation of Tuvalu, Tui is one of our more recent success stories regarding our all-important internal talent pipeline. Joining our Auckland team in 2022 as an inventory controller, Tui went through an internal promotion in August 2024, leaping up to the Auckland Branch Manager role. He has worked in the industry for eight years and with us for two. When talking about Tui, who is passionate about supporting his team and the business, integrity comes to mind. He is a great listener and communicator.

Arriving in NZ in 2010, Tui worked in a few different industries. Covering everything from horticulture to supporting ex-prisoners return to the community, Tui has done a lot, which gives him a balanced view of things and makes him a natural leader. Tui is like many of us who “fall” into this industry. After spending most of his career in fisheries here and Tuvalu, Tui ended up at a timber treatment plant in NZ. From there, he soon discovered what the rest of us figured out: while it is not a glamourous industry, it is one laden with opportunities for those who want to grab it.

Having six children keeps Tui’s home life pretty busy – but he makes sure he finds time for his much-loved fishing expeditions. Tui is also an active member of the Tuvaluan community-based in Auckland, which ensures that any new residents from the region are supported and welcomed. Passionate about his culture, Tui is proud to share information about Tuvalu and Fiji with the other members of our team, many of which are also from this region. He was also present to supervise our GMs first Kava session during Fijian language week!

One of the newer members of our Executive Leadership Team, Angela started with us in May 2022. Angela has worked in a mix of industries before us, from Accounting Firms to Property Investment, Education, and most recently for the Whangarei RSA where she was an integral part of organising the momentous occasion in our community (as it is in most); the annual ANZAC dawn parade.

With a strong background in accounts administration, Angela is known for her organisation and resourcefulness, and her willingness to continue to learn anything new and develop. Building rapport quickly with our staff, suppliers and customers, Angela’s warmth and approachability is plain for all to see. She deals with whatever we throw at her and absolutely nothing is a problem. We never, ever see her lose her cool! Wait, is that a challenge?!

In her personal life, Angela loves to spend time with her children and grandchildren. Her other great passion is her horses, doing a mix of horse riding for recreation and in competition through the Northland Showhunter series – With her and her main steed Maximus recently taking out first place in the Autumn 2023 series. She’s not all serious competition and family, though, we’ve seen her at the end of a couple of cocktails and can confirm that she’s a fun time!

Darren is based at our Whangarei Branch and is responsible for Northland sales and distribution. Darren joined us in 2007 and at that stage had already spent over ten years in the timber and hardware sales industry.

Darren is yet another example of our committed and genuine sales team, who is always striving to do right by his customers. He pulls through for his clients time and time again and is incredibly patient, no matter the enquiry or problem. Darren leads the Northland Despatch team and works hard to successfully get them on board with our goal of delivering the best possible service for our customers. Darren is also the critical export contact within our business and manages almost all of the phytosanitary and export documentation process himself.

If Darren isn’t out on the water chasing that elusive 20-pound snapper, you can find him being a complete sucker for punishment at home or Mt Smart Stadium supporting the NZ Warriors year after year.

Jonathan, who prefers the nickname JT, has been a part of the company for over four years and started as a labourer within our Sawmill division. JT’s commitment, integrity, and willingness to go above and beyond, no matter the role or responsibility, became evident pretty quickly. JT moved promptly through several internal promotions, and at the time of writing this in 2021, JT has worked in all of our Production and Sales departments.

JT recently accepted his biggest promotion yet – transitioning from a Whangarei-based sales support role to become our primary Auckland-based sales representative. Accepting this offer was no small feat for JT and his family, who had to be ready for the upheaval that comes with moving cities, schools and so on. If any of our Auckland customers haven’t yet met JT, you will no doubt soon cross paths with him and be able to experience firsthand his approachability, patience and responsiveness.

Family is JT’s number one priority, both immediate and extended. Originally hailing from Fiji, JT loves the coastline and getting out for a fish wherever possible – so don’t be surprised if he drops hints about getting some local fishing knowledge when he stops in for a sales visit. We also have it on good authority that all you need to encourage JT to carry a tune is a couple of nips of whiskey and Toto’s Africa playing in the background.

Joining our team in late 2020 after many years in the health sector, Audrey made a bit of an industry change when she came to Crofts! But that background in health meant that she brought with her a natural enthusiasm for looking after the team’s best interests and wellbeing. A passionate advocate for our Wellness programme, Audrey works hard to ensure our team is supported in as many aspects as possible.

Audrey is a huge contributor to our positive culture in her role as HR Manager. She is engaging with an evident willingness to take the time to learn more about who she works with and their differing perspectives. Always patient and welcoming, anyone who comes into Audrey’s path is treated with respect, no matter who they are or whether they work within or outside the business. She strikes an outstanding balance between meeting the team’s needs and the outcomes required for the company.

A dab hand at Crosswords and Sudoku, you could be duped into thinking that Audrey is straight-laced and not up for a party! But when she doesn’t have her nose buried in the latest brainteaser, it’s not unusual to see her cruising around the North with her partner on a Harley, sniffing out the location of the closest cocktail.

Luke, Lucas, Lucozade, Lukey – A man of many names and talents who has been a part of our team since 2005. Starting in one of the most labour-intensive roles we have, stacking posts off the round table, it wasn’t long before Luke’s motivation and initiative shone through, moving him into a development pathway that resulted in his current position as our Northland Despatch Coordinator. Providing critical support to our Northland sales team, Luke and his despatching team of yard staff and truckies do everything to deliver in full and on time!

Known as incredibly approachable but always up for a laugh, Luke brings that friendly, casual style to his interactions with other despatching teams within our customer base. He does an expert job managing our many relationships with our transport contractors. Luke is always willing to help someone wherever he can, and it’s rare to see him without a smile plastered across his face.

Outside of work, Luke is one of a small number in our team who hasn’t succumbed to the Hikurangi Rugby pressure, choosing instead to play football for Tikipunga. He also enjoys less strenuous sports such as darts and pool, even playing in a local comp for both, which doesn’t seem to help him much if any of the games we’ve witnessed are anything to go by!