NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Budget 2025
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

The Chronicle Q&A: Aramex Wanganui’s Jamie Ballantyne

Mike Tweed
By Mike Tweed
Multimedia Journalist·Whanganui Chronicle·
23 Oct, 2023 04:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Jamie Ballantyne and his wife Stacey Jones.
Jamie Ballantyne and his wife Stacey Jones.

Jamie Ballantyne and his wife Stacey Jones.

Jamie Ballantyne is the regional franchisee for Aramex Wanganui.

What were you doing before becoming top dog at Aramex?

I spent 10 years coal mining in North Queensland. Before that, I was working in an IT firm. There was a little window above my monitors and the building next door was about five metres away. All I saw was a red brick wall and this other guy across from me. We would glance at each other from time to time, just bored with the view of each other’s faces.

What inspired you to take over a courier business?

Courier work is a bit like mining. It’s a simple process - you pick up a package, you transport it, and you deliver it. You just have to get people their stuff and solve problems on the fly.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Is it hard for small businesses at the moment?

Yes. People are trying to pay their mortgages and put food on the table. I don’t think they are buying as much stuff as they were, especially post-Covid-19. It’s tough out there, but we are just trying to do everything the right way - deliver a good service, be fair in the pricing, and be contactable. We’re local, and we want to do a decent job for everyone.

If you weren’t driving packages around, what would you be doing instead?

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Probably coal mining. It’s good, honest work. It’s every boy’s dream to play in a big old sandbox. The size of the equipment is just unfathomable.

Will Whanganui be your forever home?

At the moment, yes, but I would never leave an opportunity unexplored or rule anything out. Whanganui is home now and will always be special to me because it’s where my wife is from. It has adopted me.

Since setting up base in Whanganui, you’ve dipped your toes into cricket with Tech Old Boys. Had any success?

Surprisingly, I’ve done all right the last two times I’ve played. The previous dozen - no good. Cricket is still a bit of an alien sport to me. The idea of having to go for longevity and not crushing a ball over a fence every time is just odd. A forward defensive shot? No idea what you’re talking about. It’s either in the bleachers or it’s not.

Favourite thing to do in Whanganui?

A bonfire at South Beach with the sun setting and the tide out. It’s a great spot.

Which event from history would you most like to have been at?

That’s a tricky one. It would have been pretty incredible to be standing on a hilltop watching the Battle of Waterloo. Watching, not partaking. Those guys were just slowly walking into each other. Organised chaos. Imagine what the world would have been like if it (British victory) had been the other way around. It’s one of the defining battles in history.

Have you got any hidden talents?

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

I’m really fast in a swimming pool. I managed to break a few club records when I was a kid and can still smash out a few quick laps of butterfly. I’m definitely no good at cricket, though.

What is one thing you would change about Whanganui?

I would centre the eating and hospitality in town more along the river and try to find a way to make the river run cleaner. There isn’t a hell of a lot along parts of it, so how about a beer garden down there, where you can just sit in the sun and have a pint?

Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

'Can't stop our motion': Run It Straight CEO on cancelled events

23 May 08:25 AM
New Zealand

'No other persons sought': Homicide probe continues over 77yo man's death

23 May 08:00 AM
New Zealand

Cook Islands declares dengue fever outbreak, seven cases confirmed

23 May 07:37 AM

The Hire A Hubby hero turning handyman stereotypes on their head

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
Syos wins company of the year crown, Beck named Flying Kiwi
Business

Syos wins company of the year crown, Beck named Flying Kiwi

23 May 11:00 AM
Hurricanes v Reds: 'Canes eye top four
Super Rugby

Hurricanes v Reds: 'Canes eye top four

23 May 09:25 AM
How two rugby stars are reshaping the women's game
Rugby

How two rugby stars are reshaping the women's game

23 May 08:37 AM
'Can't stop our motion': Run It Straight CEO on cancelled events
New Zealand

'Can't stop our motion': Run It Straight CEO on cancelled events

23 May 08:25 AM
'No other persons sought': Homicide probe continues over 77yo man's death
New Zealand

'No other persons sought': Homicide probe continues over 77yo man's death

23 May 08:00 AM

Latest from New Zealand

'Can't stop our motion': Run It Straight CEO on cancelled events

'Can't stop our motion': Run It Straight CEO on cancelled events

23 May 08:25 AM

The group gave away $3000 in gift cards, sponsor T-shirts, and $1000 cash.

'No other persons sought': Homicide probe continues over 77yo man's death

'No other persons sought': Homicide probe continues over 77yo man's death

23 May 08:00 AM
Cook Islands declares dengue fever outbreak, seven cases confirmed

Cook Islands declares dengue fever outbreak, seven cases confirmed

23 May 07:37 AM
Former top cop 'strongly denies' acting inappropriately over firearms licences

Former top cop 'strongly denies' acting inappropriately over firearms licences

23 May 07:23 AM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search