Pardon the pun, but Wayne really is part of the furniture at Conroy Removals. With nearly 40 years in the removals industry, he knows the business inside out and, best of all, he’s always willing to share that knowledge and support the next generation coming through.
Born and bred in Napier (with a short stint in Wairoa), Wayne grew up watching Conroy trucks pass by while he was working at a wines and spirits and wholesale grocery warehouse.
“I’d see all the beige uniforms and orange trucks rolling out and thought it looked like a great job – driving, travelling, meeting people, and working with what seemed like a really good bunch of guys,” he recalls.
It was almost meant to be. Over a beer with a mate, Wayne heard about a vacancy at Conroy. With an HT license already in hand, he gave Mr Conroy a call.
“I met with David that week and boom – I started the following one. It was 1988.”
After a couple of weeks learning the ropes on the sideline, Wayne was handed his first truck.
“I just had to watch, do, listen and learn. My third week in, I was told to head off to Timaru. I didn’t even know where it was, let alone how to get there. But I figured it out quickly – and that was it, I was hooked on driving.”
Wayne went on to spend 11 years on the road, seeing corners of the country many never get to experience. From there, he stepped into coordination and leadership roles: first as Linehaul Coordinator in Napier, then as Branch Manager in Auckland for eight years, where he built customer relationships that still hold strong today.
Now, as Commercial Accounts Manager, Wayne combines that decades-long industry knowledge with his passion for people – helping customers, mentoring staff, and keeping Conroy moving forward.
Get to know Wayne with this Quick Q&A
What do you enjoy most about working in the commercial sector?
The variety of jobs, and challenges. We have formed some very good relationships and even friendships, with some solid customers over the years. Setting up the off the shelf requests for transport is a lot of fun, but I also get a huge amount of satisfaction in finding or creating a solution to a customer’s transport request to get their goods either to their markets or consumers, or their project load to site on time, intact, as agreed.
Is there any advice you’d give commercial customers for a smoother job?
Plan ahead. Give us as much insight into your request as you can. We can always shift the dates or alter the tact but be on the front foot as far as the delivery plan goes.
Do you have a secret talent or is there something we’d be surprised to learn about you?
Pretty good as the apprentice gardener around home.
Best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Under commit and overachieve.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Kerry and I both want to do Scotland.
If you could invite three people to dinner, dead or alive, who would they be?
My Dad and my two grandfathers.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
We walk a lot, do lawns and gardens and a bit of DIY round the house. I also build and race various classes of 1/10 Scale RC cars both off and on road and I am the secretary for our local HB club. I started the hobby in the 80s but shelved it when I was on the road driving. Started up again seven years ago and now have seven cars on my bench.
Do you have any pets?
We have a black and white cat in the house, Meg, (Princess) to which I have become a servant too.
Read more about our Conroy crew in our Blog section.