The Robinson family are from front left: Sharon Cole, Jacqui Cole, Joan Robinson, Peter Robinson, Annie Johnston, Pauline Erceg, Sam Johnston, Cole Johnston. Back from left: Murray Cole, Dallas Erceg, Paul Erceg, Max Cole, Alan "AJ" Johnston, Tom Taylor.
The Robinson family are from front left: Sharon Cole, Jacqui Cole, Joan Robinson, Peter Robinson, Annie Johnston, Pauline Erceg, Sam Johnston, Cole Johnston. Back from left: Murray Cole, Dallas Erceg, Paul Erceg, Max Cole, Alan "AJ" Johnston, Tom Taylor.
A “truly legendary Northland business family” running Whangārei companies for more than 50 years is the first family to be inducted into The Northern AdvocateBusiness Hall of Fame.
The Robinson family includes three generations actively involved in the running of Robinson Asphalt and Greenfingers Growing Mixes.
The family washonoured for its commitment to succession and contribution to the region with the induction, as part of the Northland Business Excellence Awards on Friday night.
Peter and Joan Robinson paved the way for the legacy, starting Robinson Asphalts in 1972 and Greenfingers Growing Mixes in 1986.
Robinson Asphalts was taken over by the next generation in 1992: bought by one of their four daughters, Annette “Annie” Johnston, and her husband Alan “AJ”, after the couple met through the company.
Now, the next generation has taken ownership shares, including Annie and AJ’s sons Cole and Sam Johnston, Tom Taylor – who is the partner of their niece Jacqui Cole – and Sam Cowan, who is not related.
Annie said she is very proud of the new leadership team, as well as all 55 staff who do a “stellar” job in the civil and landscape company.
Relationships is one of Robinson Asphalts’ key values, alongside integrity, commitment, attitude and excellence, and most customers are repeat, she said.
The company has helped deliver key projects for Whangārei from Whau Valley Dam to the Town Basin’s new Pūtahi Park, along with plenty of school playgrounds and smaller parks.
The company recently donated its time to help build the Tutukākā playground, and also sponsors Sport Northland, Northland Rescue Helicopter, LegaSea, Northland Rugby, North Coast Boardriders and many other smaller groups.
Pūtahi Park in Whangārei's Town Basin is one of the recent major projects by Robinson Asphalts. Photo / NZME
At Greenfingers, the Robinsons’ daughter Sharon Cole has been involved virtually from the start, learning how to drive the loaders and run the bark mill on weekends while still at school.
She also helped manage a garden centre, The Brick Works, which operated for some time at Greenfingers’ Te Kamo site.
Now Sharon and her husband Murray Cole own and run Greenfingers, with their son Max also working at and part-owning the business.
The family ties do not stop there, with the 20 staff including daughter Jacqui Cole, brother-in-law Paul Erceg and his son Dallas, plus many other non-related staff who have repeatedly come back, she said.
“With family comes trust and we’re a very trustworthy bunch,” Sharon said.
Greenfingers specialises in crushing and grading bark into a landscaping product, plus creating growing media for everyone from large orchards to family gardeners.
Murray (left), Sharon and Max Cole say family values are at the heart of Greenfingers Growing Mixes, meaning many repeat customers and repeat staff too. Photo / Denise Piper
Sharon said the company has 15,000 loyal customers, some going back all the way to when she first started there aged 18.
Like Robinson Asphalts, Greenfingers has helped sponsor many school and kindergarten playgrounds, alongside many other charities like Kamo Rugby and Kidney Kids.
Peter Robinson said he always envisaged his family getting involved in his businesses in some form but had no idea it would work out quite the way it has.
Despite being 87, it is clear the words “slowing down” aren’t part of his vocabulary and he continues to be driven by a desire to achieve and stay busy.
Peter and Joan Robinson own and run self-storage business Robinsons Storage in Te Kamo.
While running Robinson Asphalt and Greenfingers Growing Mixes, the couple also renovated a historic villa, Playstead Homestead, which they moved from the site of Forum North to their Mangatapere block in 1974.
Joan and Peter Robinson like to keep busy and juggled several businesses alongside raising their family. Now, they enjoy travelling and still own a self-storage business. Photo / Denise Piper
They also ran persimmon and avocado orchards from the block, plus a Romney sheep stud, alongside raising their family and nine horses.
After selling Robinson Asphalt, Peter started a new company, Turfcare Services, which took him and Joan as far as Pitcairn Island, to help build its prison in the early 2000s.
But while overseas adventures were more alluring in later life, he always intended for Robinson Asphalt to be a Northland-focused company.
“I did a few jobs in Ōrewa and Wellsford but those places were services by other contractors. But nobody was doing hot-mix by hand in Whangārei.”
Peter said the Northern Advocate Hall of Fame induction is a huge honour for the family, with the nomination calling them a “truly legendary Northland business family”.
Family occasions mix of business and pleasure
With so many Robinson family members involved in the family’s businesses, are family social occasions dominated by work chat?
Annie said family members do try to have “no work talk” zones, but it isn’t always easy to uphold that.
She recalled growing up in a home where there was plenty of business done after-hours on the family phone and lots of business talk at the dinner table.
Cole Johnston admitted many strategic decisions are made after-hours: “That’s when you have time to think about the big picture.”
Sharon also agreed that sometimes a family dinner is the best chance to catch up on things, with everyone passionate about what they do, especially her father Peter.
“No work talk is a fabulous rule but in 87 years my father has never learnt it.”
The Northern Advocate Business Hall of Fame past inductees:
Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.
