Jake Vermeer
2IC / Outdoor Timber Specialist
Jake has been with Goldpine Blenheim since 2018. Having a background as a vineyard contractor, where he got to drive tractors and had his own furniture business with an interest in timber, he thought Goldpine would be a good fit. Having had the odd visit to the Blenheim yard as a customer, he had always been impressed by the quality of service and product he had received.
Jake reckons the people here at Goldpine are great – both the customers and the team members you get to work with. The culture is pretty good and his manager Steve is a good bugger to work for too!
Chris Eggers
NZ Sales Manager
Chris started work for Goldpine in May 2016 at our Putaruru store as an Outdoor Timber Specialist, before moving into the manager role in May 2017. Chris continued his rise through the ranks, moving into the North Island Sales Manager position in September 2018, before coming into his current role of NZ Sales Manager in June 2021, still based at Putaruru.
Chris has certainly had a diverse career – after leaving school, he went straight into the army for six years, before moving into silviculture work. After a couple of years, he chose dairy farming and spent eight years managing farms in Manawatū, Hawke’s Bay and the Waikato, and then moved into driving trucks and working in transport logistics.
Angela Valentine
Store Manager – Richmond
Angela’s passion for her role at Goldpine has been evident from the start with her desire to work with the rural community, providing our customers with the best possible service. She started with Goldpine in January 2019 and reckons the rural community are her kind of people. They are the type of people we employ at our stores – outdoor people as Angela puts it.
With a diverse team working at the Richmond site, including supportive, long-term team members, Angela enjoys getting out in the field, coaching the team and passing on her drive for great customer service.
Trudy Brown
Finance Team, Oxford Street
Trudy started work for Goldpine in March 2012 at our Support Office in Richmond, Nelson. After nearly 10 years in the business, she not only knows a thing or two about accounts payable but also about Goldpine as a whole.
She enjoys interacting with our store teams and our suppliers, combining her expertise in accounts payable, with her bubbly outgoing personality.
With her experience at Goldpine, she adds value to everything she does for the company, and with her daughter working at our Ecoliving yard, she’s keeping it in the family!
Jim Johnston
Apprentice Engineer, Golden Downs
Jim started work for Goldpine in a yard/sales role at our Blenheim retail store in July 2011. After leaving at the end of 2013, he returned to Goldpine in April 2014 for a sales position. Jim continued to grow and develop in sales and was appointed 2IC in September 2015.
He moved to Nelson two years later and worked for our Richmond store as an on-road specialist. However, with his interest in cars and mechanics and a desire to challenge himself, he moved to our Golden Downs Production yard in May 2018 as a Trades Assistant to start his engineering career. He studied for his National Certificate in Mechanical Engineering (Level 4) and became fully qualified in 2021.
Mike Jefford
Supervisor, Golden Downs
Originally working as a qualified baker for ten years, Mike joined Goldpine in July 2004 as a stopgap for three months, with plans to head off over the ditch to Australia to travel and work.
Unfortunately, for Mike, but fortunately for us, those travel plans fell through, and the rest, they say, is history.
Mike’s been with us now nearly seventeen years, starting on the quarter station and making his way to Supervisor in July 2017, via the peeler and foreman roles.
Peng Za
Trellis and Outdoor Furniture Maker, Ecoliving
Peng started with us in March 2017, initially up at our Golden Downs site, before moving to our Trellis yard in May that year.
He enjoys his role at our Trellis yard, and even though he’s experienced at making all the different components, his real passion lies with making and putting together our great looking Kiwi made trellis. In fact, I’ve heard from his manager, Marc, that if he could, Peng would spend all his time in that area – that’s not a bad thing either, as he does a great job for Goldpine!
Kamate Mamanu
Store Manager — Gore
Kamate started at our Gore store before it even became Goldpine! Working at the freezing works, Kamate's days finished early. One day, he was sitting out the back of his house, which is right next to the Goldpine yard (in those days a transport company owned it) having a smoke and a coffee when a fella, who was tidying up the yard, gave him a shout and asked if wanted to earn a little cash in hand. Well, Kamate was up for the additional income, and at the end of his working day at the freezing works, he'd pop over the fence to help out.
When Goldpine purchased the site, Kamate was offered a role as a yardman, and the rest, they say, is history!
