Our People: David Remmerswaal

David Remmerswaal. Photo/Ben Fraser

It's hard work talking with millennial David Remmerswaal. It's not that he hasn't much to say for himself; quite the contrary, he's a great conversationalist – about everything except himself.

Our People took on the persona of a truffle dog digging hard to prise out each wee nugget, there's a reason for this; David simply has no concept of just how much he's crammed into his 28 years compared with many others with heaps more years on life's speedo.

The achievements he's already chalked up carried him into October's business awards as a finalist in the Employee of the Year category, he's marketing manager at Dubzz Digital Marketing.

Our conversational starting point's that surname of his. It's Dutch and to the best of his knowledge his family are the only Remmerswaals in the country.

His paternal grandparents settled here in the wake of the vicious Second World War hammering Holland received from the Nazis.

But the Dutch side is only half of him – his mother's Rarotongan, which explains why he's far from the fair-skinned European we'd been expecting.

For David, growing up in twin cultures is a personal bonus.

"They are so very different, when I was 11 I went to live in Rarotonga for a while with my mother's aunt, went to school there. It was an amazing experience getting to know that part of my heritage, living the local lifestyle . . . going into the back yard to feed the pigs."

His European link has had its turn to flourish too. From school he went to Belgium, working on a family friend's canal barge.

"It was like a mini hotel, I was the deckhand, got to learn to drive it and meet all these amazing people. Visiting Holland I discovered a lot about my Dutch heritage."

Prod him to classify his ethnicity and David's adamant he's very much a Kiwi. "When anyone asks me where I'm from I proudly say I'm a New Zealander."

Back from Belgium he studied for a Bachelors in Tourism Management at the then Waiariki Institute of Technology.

During the three-year course he scored an internship at Dubzz, then in its infancy.

"We were working out of Rachel's spare bedroom [owner Rachel Warrander, Our People, November 12, 2016). The company was becoming very involved in online marketing for the tourism industry and being a child of the digital age I knew that's the direction I wanted to head."

David unashamedly pestered Rachel for full time work. "She offered me a day a week."

That rapidly expanded as the company mushroomed into a major market player; David's held the operations manager role for 18 months, bolstering his qualifications with a digital marketing diploma.

Dubzz is not his sole workplace.

He and partner, Charlotte Hazlett, have a stall at the Night Market, a favourite haunt of David's since it opened.

"I've always gone there to buy dinner on a Thursday night, it's a fun, happening place, draws visitors, has become a real social event with so many ethnic groups represented."

Taking a stall was a natural progression. He and Charlotte sell the cushions and leather accessories she makes as a sideline to her day job, teaching fashion and textiles at Girls' High.

Their meeting was of the one-off kind. David's sister, one of Charlotte's students, considered they'd make an ideal pair.

"She came home one day and said 'I've set you up with a date with my teacher,' I said 'sure, why not'?"

The 16-year-old's instinct that they'd hit it off was spot on. They've bought a house together, more correctly it's a unit that's seen better days, but situated in upmarket Sophia St their purchase was all about location, location, location.

"Everyone's talking about Rotorua's escalating property prices but we bought just before that happened otherwise there'd have been no way we could have afforded it. The only problem is we've had to become gardeners to keep up the street appeal the neighbours are so good at."

David's also discovered home ownership's almost another full time job. "We've had to learn a lot about DIY and its pitfalls, that what looks to be a small job can take at least a month."

Cliche it may be but we can't resist saying 'wait there's more' crammed into David's days.

He's a committed member of the Big Brother Big Sister project, mentoring 11-year-old Logan.

"I read about it in the paper, thought how awesome it would be help out a younger person and it's been brilliant. We've done pretty much everything Rotorua has on offer, walk my dogs together, generally hang out and have a lot of fun. Logan's become a special friend who'll be with me as long as he wants."

We toss in here this high achiever's also an award-winning member of Toastmasters.

Conscious delivering work presentations was "freaking him out" he joined the Lakeside Breakfast Club.

"I had a real fear of public speaking, failed every single speech at high school, then I heard how great Toastmasters is for personal development, was convinced to go along and realised it was exactly what I needed."

He's become so good at this public speaking lark he represented his club at the recent Toastmasters of Plenty, Taupo, Hawke's Bay regional finals; his subject a humorous
take on DIY, "its adventures and misadventures".

Another confidence-booster has been time at Outward Bound, sponsored by Rotorua's Sunrise Rotary Club.

"You get as much life experience there in three weeks as six months overseas."

David's high point was the four days, three nights he spent isolated form civilisation.

"It followed a 16- hour a day tramp in pouring rain, they were the three worst days of my life. I was totally exhausted, spent the first day-and-a-half alone asleep, than I just sat by the water in perfect weather and thought about my ambitions, my family, and realised what a fortunate life I've had so far, that it's up to me to make sure there's much more to come."

DAVID REMMERSWAAL
Born: Rotorua, 1989.
Education: Kawaha Point and Malfroy Primaries, Titikaveka College, Rarotonga; St Peter's Cambridge, Waiariki.
Family: Partner Charlotte Hazlett, father Lucas (Auckland), mother Lorraine (Rotorua), brother, sister, half sister.
Interests: Work, travel, Toastmasters, Big Brother Big Sister, cooking. "I do like my food, am mostly vegetarian, it's better for the environment," "Renovating our home." Socialising with friends, live music.
On being a child of the digital age: "It's full of opportunities, when I left school the job I'm in now didn't exist."
On Rotorua: "It's way better than some people say it is, it doesn't deserve its bad [crime] reputation."
Personal philosophy: "Make the most of every opportunity."