NZ Proud goes from strength to strength

Johnnie and Lauren Saunders with Chillie, 15, and baby son Macklin.

When Kāpiti business owner Johnnie Saunders decided to start his building company seven years ago after almost a decade off the tools, he’d just purchased a first home with his partner Lauren in Raumati South, where the two spent weekends renovating together. Having rekindled his passion for the carpentry industry, after he left when building work dried up, the dad of two quit his job in sales and launched NZ Proud Property Improvements.

Today, still living in their first property, Johnnie and Lauren have created a revamped and thoughtfully designed sanctuary for their growing family that is unrecognisable from the dusty two-bedroom abode they excitedly purchased in 2016.

Over a few years, they “brought the old dog to life”, gutting the backyard and interior entirely and changing the home’s layout to include an additional two rooms and second bathroom. Finished with a new roof and driveway, updated garage and polished floors, the couple’s home expansion worked in their favour as they welcomed their baby son Macklin in October.

But their home isn’t the only major change. Johnnie’s business has also transformed quickly and drastically from a one-man company, now with about 40 staff and four operating franchises in Wellington, the Hutt Valley, Porirua, and Kāpiti.

“I love carpentry and did a lot of renovations when I was younger, and I’m very passionate about that space. I saw a need to fill a gap in the existing property market, since there aren’t a lot of specialty renovation businesses,” recalls Johnnie, who has 12 carpenters and 15 apprentices. “A lot of the regulatory change in building standards is focused on new construction, and there’s not a lot of innovation.”

Just three years after launching, his company won at the 2019 Electra Business Awards in the categories for employer of choice and small business excellence. A year later, the team secured the first of two gold medals at the Registered Master Builders House of the Year Regional (Wellington/Wairarapa) Awards, also winning the Regional Renovation category twice.

Their debut into the esteemed awards, which credits gold recipients for being at least 80 per cent above the industry standard, was an old Raumati South ex-rental that Johnnie and his team turned into a modern, coastal-themed family home.

That same year, NZ Proud expanded beyond Kāpiti, where the company has over 1000 customers, launching into Greater Wellington. Johnnie’s decision to grow nationally came during the first lockdown in 2020, when a business mentor asked what his aspirations were and how big he wanted to go. As the two discussed opportunities for branching out, they landed on franchising. Johnnie liked the idea of giving aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity to start a company within their region, under the NZ Proud brand, supported by a sustainable business plan to help them reach long-term success.

NZ Proud owner Johnie Saunders' decision to grow nationally came during the first lockdown in 2020, when a business mentor asked how big he wanted to go.

“We never could’ve guessed what was going to hit us with Covid. We had to shut down and re-establish health and safety protocols and we expected to see a big decline in jobs post lockdown. But we got hit with so much work!” says the dad of daughter Chillie, 15, who married Lauren in a surprise backyard wedding during 2021. “The past three years have been the busiest within our industry because a lot of people had free cash flow and then the Reserve Bank decided to drop interest rates. Our business has been directly impacted by people’s ability to borrow to renovate their house.”

With the launch of his national franchise model, in which franchises are exclusively sold to qualified carpenters, Johnnie set up a new company, NZ Proud National. His goal now is to slowly grow nationwide.

“One of our apprentices is only 21 and just about to get qualified and he bought into the Hutt Valley with another guy in his mid-20s. They’re passionate and have that willpower you need to be an entrepreneurial business owner,” enthuses Johnnie, whose national offices are on Ihakara St in Paraparaumu. “We put a lot of time, capital investment, and third-party support into building our franchising infrastructure so that any qualified carpenter can step in and hit the ground running with no business experience. Franchising is so successful in the construction sector.”

For Johnnie, who is vice-president of the Registered Master Builders Association, getting into business ownership was in part to have more flexibility around family, allowing him to attend his daughter’s sports games. In just over half a decade, the hard work has paid off, with Johnnie able to stay home for the first two weeks of his son’s life.

“We’ve got some great leaders in the business, which meant I could step away. I’m lucky that our national business, which I’m primarily running, can be done from home so I can work relatively flexible hours,” says Johnnie, whose wife has taken 12 months’ maternity leave from her role as a bank marketing manager. “Lauren’s a big part of the business too, and has been the inspiration behind a lot of the brand presence since day one. This year she was running a fulltime job, supporting the business, and preparing to have a baby! She’s an absolute weapon.”

Another recent change for the couple was partnering with two architects to launch the Pasifika-and-Māori-run business Pou Architecture, which operates from Paraparaumu. Because NZ Proud does a lot of design, working closely with architects, it is exclusively using the Rimu Rd-based company.

“As we’ve grown the company, I’ve found a real love and passion for being an entrepreneur, which is something I never knew I’d be good at. I look back and reflect and go, ‘Actually, we’ve done something pretty good here’,” Johnnie concludes. “The biggest question you ask yourself as a business owner is, ‘Why didn’t I do this earlier?’ We’re really proud of what we’ve achieved.”