Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • 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 / Rotorua Daily Post

Taupō business putting in the hard Graft

Taupo & Turangi Weekender
1 Nov, 2020 04:00 PM3 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

The Graft Joinery team. From left: Justin Webber, Savarn Civil, Julia van Velden, Craig van Velden, Caitlin Simpson, Rob Littlewood. Photo / Supplied

The Graft Joinery team. From left: Justin Webber, Savarn Civil, Julia van Velden, Craig van Velden, Caitlin Simpson, Rob Littlewood. Photo / Supplied

The building sector continues to boom in Taupō, with many tradespeople booked out months in advance.

When demand outstrips supply it can be tempting for businesses to become complacent, letting their customer service levels slip. Not so for Taupō-based Graft Joinery, who produce custom-made cabinetry for clients across the North Island.

"It's pretty frustrating when a tradie arrives to give you a quote, and you never hear from them again," says Julia van Velden, joint owner of Graft Joinery.

"Communicating with our customers is a big focus for us. We've found that it's really important to make sure everyone is on the same page, so we work hard to keep our clients and suppliers updated at each point in the process."

Graft has been in business for just under one year, and in that time the growth has been exponential.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"When we opened our doors we started with one employee. Within three months we had four more team members and a six-month pipeline of work – it's been pretty crazy," says Julia, who owns the business with her husband Craig.

To help manage their growth, Julia and Craig have enlisted the help of a business mentor through Enterprise Great Lake Taupō.

"It's been so useful to have another set of eyes looking over our business, and to gain insights from someone who is already successful in business. I think New Zealanders often have a mentality that asking for help means you're failing. But getting some external support has actually been really beneficial for us," says Julia.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Julia also completed an online fees-free business course which she says was hugely valuable.

"The course was part-time, so I could fit it around my other commitments. It was pretty straight-forward and included writing a business plan and setting goals. We then used this plan to work out our business strategy and to gain start-up finance from the bank," she says.

Graft Joinery have also been involved in the Taupō Pathways youth employment programme. The company recently offered an apprenticeship to a Taupō school-leaver.

"Caitlin completed her work experience through the programme with us during her final year of school. She enjoyed it so much she kept coming right through the school holidays. We love having young people like her in the factory - they bring lots of enthusiasm and new ideas."

Discover more

Inventive Taupō local is cranking it up

13 Oct 04:00 PM

Local locksmith finds key to business success

08 Sep 08:00 PM

Huge interest in part-time work in Taupō

26 Aug 05:00 PM

Julia says building a strong team culture has been part their success.

"Each week we go mountain biking together as a team. We all enjoy it, and it's a good way to keep fit and healthy.

"We've actually just booked the Timber Trail as our annual team-building event. It's pushed the budget a bit, but it's worth it. We want our staff to enjoy working here, and to know that we value them."

Copy supplied by Enterprise Great Lake Taupō

Subscribe to Premium
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

'Culture of belief': How underdogs became national champions

30 May 01:36 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Lakeside holiday home owners face big sewerage bills

29 May 07:58 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

NZ's best-tasting tap water revealed

29 May 07:00 PM

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

'Culture of belief': How underdogs became national champions

'Culture of belief': How underdogs became national champions

30 May 01:36 AM

Young league players set for massive Rotorua event this weekend.

Lakeside holiday home owners face big sewerage bills

Lakeside holiday home owners face big sewerage bills

29 May 07:58 PM
NZ's best-tasting tap water revealed

NZ's best-tasting tap water revealed

29 May 07:00 PM
Taupō's 'accidental art hero' on adventures around town - and further afield

Taupō's 'accidental art hero' on adventures around town - and further afield

29 May 05:00 PM
Explore the hidden gems of NSW
sponsored

Explore the hidden gems of NSW

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
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • 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