While we’ve run various features on Northchill Group trucks over the years, we’ve never really delved into Graham Redington’s story, and what Northchill is all about. As group managing director, Graham is an approachable but no-bullshit, matter-of-fact kind of guy. He calls it like he sees it.

And that’s pretty much how one would describe Northchill Group. Its Pukekohe head office is clean, orderly. Fleet photos greet you at the entrance. The team has a clean-cut image. They greet you with a friendly handshake and a willing conversation. The sense of purpose is evident in sayings such as, ‘Rule #1 – If we don’t look after the customer… Someone else will’, and ‘Someday you will look back on all the progress you made and be so glad that you didn’t give up…’ painted in large block letters on the office walls.

At Graham’s side as director and head of finance is his wife Michelle. The two established the business in 2007, having returned from Australia after five years. “We bought a tanker business from a guy who carted chemicals. We built that up and sold it, but kept a part of the chemical work. Today, the company runs three acid tankers under Graham Redington Ltd.

“Then, I had a mate at Goodman Fielder transport, and we got into doing milk runs for Goodmans when Mainland/Anchor got split up. So that’s how that came to be, with three trucks there, and we did that for a time.”

The relationship with Foodstuffs followed, 16 years ago, and refrigerated freight runs are the company’s main line of work today.

“I ran into one of the Foodstuffs board members at the point they were going from company trucks to owner-drivers. So we got in and started there with one truck. It grew to three, and eventually we had 10 runs. We now have seven, which we’re cool with. Foodies are good people. If you keep a tidy operation, you’ll be there forever,” Graham says. That’s the responsibility of Northchill group operations manager Cory Knox and operations manager Steve Rowe.

In 2021, the diversity in Northchill Group’s work was expanded when Ontour Logistics was added to the fold.

“We brought four trailers off Brendan Main in Thames and then started Ontour Logistics. We tidied it up and have grown it to 15 concert trailers,” says Graham.

Concert logistics may be a seasonal operation, but it’s full-on work by all accounts, and under the watch of Ontour operations manager Toby McLean. “It’s not something you can just come in and ‘give a go’. Everyone thinks it looks easy, but it’s a lot of planning and hard work. And you have to have guys on the job who know what they’re doing,” says Graham.

Finally, under Northchill Express, the company offers general interisland freight and contract logistics. Those Invercargill-built Stabicraft boats you see on the move? That’s Northchill Express on the job. Northchill Express operations manager Paul Crooks keeps things ticking.

For Graham, trucks are in the blood, no doubt influenced by dad Martyn operating trucks and diggers in Wellington during Graham’s youth. However, his story started with landscaping out of school. “I did that for years, but then moved into transport as a courier and grew from there to the likes of driving interstate in Aussie.”

Today, daughter Hollie is Northchill Group health and safety and compliance manager, and has a promising future in the business. “She really acts as my PA – she keeps me in check!” says Graham.

In early 2025, Northchill Group will enter the next chapter in its story when it moves into its new 2ha site at Bombay.