You could argue the biggest issue in the world and business today is too much education and not enough wisdom. With wisdom, ‘traditional values’ become real, and not merely a label. What prosperity actually means is clarified.

If you want to know or experience what wisdom in business looks like in 2021, then Manuel Haulage is a beautiful example.

Tutu and Raewyn Manuel are invested in the lives of their staff, their personal goals, and aspirations. The purpose of work is fulfilment of everyone’s dreams, not just the owner’s, and in the Manuels’ case, their dream is, in all honesty, fulfilment of those in and around them. “As we say to our kids, ‘our time has been, it’s your world now, so dream big and go hard.”

Take Ray Feki as a prime example. He had a dream of wanting to own his own home, and Tutu and Raewyn have worked closely with him to make that real. And the truth is? Ray Feki will read this article from his own living room.

“Along this journey, Tutu and I decided that any staff we bought on board would always be treated with respect,” says Raewyn. “We wanted to create a whanau atmosphere where we paid them fairly for a difficult job well done, with incentive bonuses that reflected their star rating as a driver, work ethics, loyalty, and safety. We are continually looking for small incentives along the way that make the job attractive and interesting. Drivers sort their shifts out among themselves to suit their lifestyle. So long as the minimum number of trips each day has been achieved and the gear is well-maintained and looked after, then we are happy.

“Our Whakatauki (mission statement) is simple: He aha te mea nui o te ao? – What is the most important thing in the world? He tangata! – It is the people. He tangata! – It is the people. He tangata! – It is the people.”