Shires: The remarkable 100-year journey of a Dannevirke fruit and vege shop

Chhiba Patel was known as Bill Shire and operated the shop under the name of W. Shire and Co. Photo / Supplied

Chhiba Pancha Patel was just 16 years old when he left India in search of a better life.

It was 1918 when he landed on New Zealand shores but it was a brief stop in Dannevirke that led him on the path to what became a family business.

One hundred years later, Shires Fruit and Vege shop is still going strong and the Patel family name is just as highly respected in Dannevirke as it was when Chhiba opened the shop.

Now the family are marking the shop's centenary with a special celebration being held on Labour Weekend.

Chhiba grew up in Gujurat in India where there were few opportunities.

His brother had gone to live in South Africa and he expected to be able to do the same, his grand-daughter Prabha (known as Patricia) Budhia said, but the call never came.

Then he heard that indentured labourers were required in Fiji so he boarded a ship bound for the small island nation.

In a book on her Dada's life and the legacy of the family business, Prabha wrote that the ship was going to dock in Auckland before going on to Fiji.

"A couple of days before they reached New Zealand, all the Indian passengers were told if they could write their names in English, they could disembark in Auckland, and if approved by the local authorities, stay in New Zealand."

The shop in 1922 was opposite the old post office. Photo / Supplied

Chhiba had been teaching at a school in India and had taught himself a lot of English, so he helped some of his fellow passengers learn to write their names in English.

Records Prabha found showed he came ashore on September 17, 1918, although she was unsure of the complete accuracy of those records.

For the next four years, Chhiba worked in Auckland and Rotorua, then in Wellington, but conditions were tough and he and his fellow countrymen faced prejudice.

He saved money where he could, intending to open his own business, and was on his way up to Wairoa to check out a shop there when he stopped off in Dannevirke, which was much closer to the produce markets in Wellington, and signed up to rent the building.

When deciding on a name for the shop, he wanted something that would "blend into the community", Prabha wrote.

"The name evolved when he decided to use the English word 'Shire' - meaning county or group - and thought this would be perfect, as his future plans were to open more shops."

So he became Bill Shire and called the shop W. Shire & Co.

Chunilal Patel took over running the shop from his father. Photo / Supplied

It wasn't long before Shires became a valued part of the community and Chhiba even learned to speak re reo, Prabha said.

He quickly gained a reputation for being caring and kind, helping people in the community. If someone was unable to pay their bill, he would tell them to come back when they could.

She recalled a story from her father, Chunilal, that when India gained its independence from British rule, the shop was closed for the day but a box of fruit and vegetables was left outside for people to help themselves.

"He was just that sort of person - always giving."

Prabha, the eldest of nine, recalled spending much of her time in the shop, as did many of the children in the family.

Peter (Moti) Patel and Suresh Patel (with Chuni) are continuing the legacy left behind. Photo / Supplied

She and her sister would bike home from school for lunch, then rush to the shop to send her father and grandfather home for lunch and once they returned, she would go back to school.

After school and weekends were also spent helping in the shop.

"From a very early age we learnt how to handle money and in hindsight it was the best thing we could have done because it brought us up to be the people we are now," Prabha said.

Several branches of the shop opened in towns such as Masterton, Waipawa, Taihape and others, although those have all either closed down or changed ownership in the decades since.

Shires in the 1960s. Photo / Supplied

Suresh Patel, who now owns Shires with his brother Peter (Moti) Patel, believed that the branches were run by people his grandfather had known or helped, but many of them chose to move away.

Shires has also had its ups and downs, with the Great Depression, fires, and two earthquakes in 1990, as well as dealing with lockdowns due to the pandemic.

Shires Fruit and Vege Market during a Christmas promotion a few years ago. Photo / NZME

"Who would have thought that 100 years later the business would still be operating and becoming one of the country's longest [running] fruit and vege retailers, if not the longest?" Suresh said.

"Who would have thought 100 years later we'd still be operating in the same township and in the same family. It's a remarkable piece of history, really."

Chhiba died in 1979 and his son Chunilal died in 2006.