A rural operation tucked away in the deep south with a history that stretches back to the 1950s, a decades-long loyalty to a particular truck marque, with a tight-knit crew operating in a loyal community, early in a new chapter of its story … Welcome to Waikaka Transport.

The Gore Truck Show, May 2025. Having enjoyed the day among some incredible trucks and infectious trucking enthusiasts, everyone had gathered at the Croydon Lodge for a well-deserved ale, a hot meal and the prize giving. Among the fleets leading the prize tally was Waikaka Transport – with a haul no less than five, including Best 40,000km–100,000km, Best MAN, Best Stock, Bulk Sower and Best 400,000km–700,000km.

It was undoubtedly an impressive showing by the team from the township, just 20 minutes north of Gore. What left an even greater impression on us, though, was the team’s camaraderie, interaction, joy and support each time one of their names was announced. It was inspiring and incredibly cool to witness. It was also an indication that there might be more to this modest rural transport operation than meets the eye.

The truck that won the Best 40,000km–100,000km, Best MAN and Best Stock awards was the company’s brand-new MAN TGX 35.640 8×4, operated by Shaun Wilson. “We helped each other the night before, got done at 2am, and were back out at 6am to drive in. It was a big old night but worth it in the end!” he’d tell us.

Through Waikaka Transport’s decades-long history, the company has loyally operated trucks from the Munich-based manufacturer. And so, we thought, what better opportunity to feature our first New Generation (TG3) 8×4 MAN TGX – in a company that has a long history with the brand, and that almost certainly has a good story to tell.

SOUTHERN STALWARTS – PART 1

Head north from Gore for about 25km and you’ll arrive in the Waikaka area. The Southland town is only a stone’s throw from the border with Otago, on roughly the same latitude as Tapanui. With less than 1700 people in the general area, it’s about as rural as it gets. There’s not much to the town itself – a sports ground, a historic church, the Waikaka Hotel and the yards of Waikaka Transport are the major attractions. But, we’d learn, as with many quiet rural towns, a real community spirit binds the residents.

Take, for instance, the Waikaka Hotel and pub. Built in 1872, the establishment was put up for sale in 2023. Instead of risking its fate, the community rallied. The Waikaka Hotel Enhancement Company was formed so it could be kept in the community’s hands. It currently has 150 shareholders – including Waikaka Transport.

“This is a pretty good community to be in. We moved the family here from Gore about 20 months ago, and you couldn’t ask to be welcomed into the community any better,” says Rex ‘Brownie’ Brown, director and stock dispatcher at Waikaka Transport.

Brownie and his wife Jolene are the current owners and directors of Waikaka Transport and this month they celebrate their first anniversary of ownership. Both have a history with the company; Brownie’s currently in his 10th year, and Jolene in her ninth.

“We took the opportunity to buy the business to be able to run it our way,” says Jolene, as we discuss the company’s history, which goes back to 1953 as Sutherland Transport.

11 Lurgen Street, RD3

“This has always been the yard,” says sower dispatcher Richard Robinson, who joins the discussion as a 22-year veteran of Waikaka Transport and a key figure in its modern history. “There was also a yard at Maitland at the time. Sutherland’s had been operational 60-odd years when I started. One of the trucks had a ‘50 years in transport’ sticker on it, which had been there for something like 15 years already and pretty much faded off,” he recalls.

With decades to delve into, the first chapter of the company’s history under the ownership of William ‘Bill’ Sutherland could be a story in its own right. Right now, though, we’ll focus on its modern history, which began in 2006, when the operation was sold to Peter Stevenson, Murray Maslin, Noel Lane and Peter Kanan and became Waikaka Transport.

“They were all in transport one way or another,” Richard says. “Peter and Murray were still running things at Andrews Transport. Noel Lane was second in charge at Sutherlands; he bought some shares and Peter and Murray made him manager and left him to run it.”

The four shareholders lasted for only a few years. Noel left in 2008, followed by Murray in 2009, who set out to start Switzers Valley Transport. In their place for a few years were Peter’s brother Michael Stevenson and Greg Kirk, who was appointed as a director in 2012.

By this time, Richard had been taken off his stock truck and brought into the office to run operations with the help of “a couple of offsiders”, which he did for almost four years. “Eventually, I had a gutsful and got Brownie in to help run the stock trucks,” he says. In addition to Waikaka Transport, by 2013, Peter had started Milnes Transport and later Waituna Transport. Brownie was a stock driver at Milnes and would help at Waikaka when needed, having done a full stock season about a year before Richard brought him in. “Brownie had a good lay of the land, and he liked stock, so it made sense. He’s been great for that side of things,” says Richard.

“I didn’t even know if I wanted to do it,” Brownie retorts. “I’d just got a brand-new 620 Scania; had only done one season on it. I got told at Christmas time, ‘Take all your gear out of it because when you come back in the New Year, you’re going to Waikaka’.”

Jolene had her reservations, too … “I didn’t know how that would go, because he’s not an office person; he’s always been a truck person. But, no, he’s really impressed me,” she says.

“It was more or less left to us for about 10 years or so. We were really just left alone,” says Brownie.

The big move(s)

Having run Waikaka Transport and known the operation so intimately over such an extended period, it was almost natural that an ownership stake would be on the cards. However, it was a stalemate, as Brownie and Jolene only wanted shares in Waikaka, and Peter only offered shares if they were taken in all three companies. Nonetheless, in 2024, Brownie and Jolene got their chance to make their move.

“We were lucky. We had good people behind us when we started, especially our finance people and accountant,” Brownie comments.

“We did; we had a lot of backing and support to get us to where we are,” Jolene adds. “Not like we weren’t backing ourselves, but holy shit! They really put our minds at ease and made us feel like we were doing a good thing, and it was going to work.”

Brownie, Jolene and Richard all agree that being a decent truck driver definitely helps when managing operations. Luckily, for Brownie and Jolene, life has always been about trucks.

“I’ve only had three jobs,” says Brownie. “I started with DT Kings, where I worked for 22 years, doing a bit of everything … lift out siders, a short stint driving a log truck (which I found boring and did not like), bulk curtainsider work (which was good variety) and stock every now and then. Then I went to Milnes, and from there, I came here.”

“I’ve been with Rex since I was 16 years old, so it’s always been trucks!” Jolene says. “Even now, every opportunity Rex can get to get his butt in a truck, he’s on it. Whereas I’ve been known to go with him in the truck for a day so I can do what I need to, it’s easier to just go with him.”

Sons Aaron (32) and Josh (25) are currently on two of the company’s stock trucks, and Bailee (24) has just come on board with aspirations of being a diesel mechanic, so it would appear that Waikaka may one day become a real family business, too. Daughter Bridgette (33) is a nurse, while at 12, Jaxon still has some time to see where life will take him.

“The kids all liked it, too; any excuse to go with Rex in the truck … especially if he was going to the North Island. They did not want to go to school. ‘Dad’s going away, I’ll just go with Dad!’ Okay then!” Jolene says with a laugh.

“I don’t even know how much time I spent off school,” Josh quips, cracking a big grin.

Jolene continues, “Bridgette was six weeks old when we took her for her first trip in an old, noisy International to Christchurch because we never got to see him otherwise. All the kids got their turns when they were babies.

“I’ve had some odd jobs, but I never worked while the kids were at school; you could do that then,” she explains. “If your partner is the only one working and you want to see them, you have to make it work, especially when he loved doing it,” she says.

By the time Jaxon was starting school, and with Rex now at Waikaka Transport, a job in the office came up. “I thought, ‘I’ve never done anything like that, I’ll give it a go’, so I did. It helped that I’d been around truck drivers and the industry for all that time. I knew how the industry worked and how to get along with the drivers,” Jolene explains.

Over the years, the family progressively moved north, from Invercargill to Gore and then Waikaka.

“Once something became available here, we jumped at it. It’s easier on us now we’re living in the community, and it’s made a really big difference to the community as well,” Jolele comments.

“If you want the community to look after you, you have to look after the community,” Brownie elaborates, explaining the company sponsors everything from the local school and sports clubs to dog trials and quiz nights at the Waikaka Hotel.

“Josh plays for the local rugby team, too. These connections have made a big difference with us taking over the company,” Jolene says.

A 70-year rural operation in 2025

As literally the only trucking gig in town, you’d expect the Waikaka Transport yard to be overrun by local kids, itching to get up close to the trucks, help wash them out, shine them up, maybe even shift one around.

“It’s not like the old days when every second farmer’s son wanted to drive trucks. It’s not the same,” Brownie says, to which Jolene adds, “No, we don’t really have kids coming to the yard like back in the day. I think things have become too PC and kids are wrapped in cotton wool. But usually, the kids are also helping on their parents’ farms.”

“Farmers aren’t having big families anymore, either,” Richard adds. “And there are too many other options now, too … sports, video games, all that.”

Thankfully, there might be a hint of interest in the trucks in another form. “The boys have been known to arrive at local farms and have taken the kids for a ride,” Jolene smiles.

A benefit of a local company with Waikaka’s permanence is that it builds long-term trust and relationships. “We have a lot of longstanding customers, generational,” Richard explains. “We’ve been very lucky out here; they all seem to stay with us. We’re in a good wee spot here.”

For the farmers and transport operations alike, though, the last few years have been a roller coaster of ups and downs. Being so close to their customers has meant supporting one another to get through it together.

“Covid itself wasn’t too bad. When we first went into it, it was probably one of the best years we’d had,” explains Brownie. “Farmers were stressing because they didn’t know how long they were going to hold their lambs for, didn’t know if they’d have enough grass, so they were putting fert on.”

“Covid probably saved my side of the business,” Richard adds. “Then, around the third year, things just stopped.”

“Prices skyrocketed, and they haven’t come back down,” says Brownie. “The two seasons before the last one, the farmers had no money. However, last season was getting back to where it had been. Thankfully, the season coming up is forecast to be good.

“The farmers were pretty down … Everything to do with farming suffered – right down to the cafés in Gore.”

“It really affected us to see how they were, and the flow-on effects to the community,” Jolene comments.

“Absolutely,” Richard adds. “If the farmers have no money, no one does. You were almost a counsellor to them every time you saw them.”

Through it all, though, it would seem Waikaka Transport has found its rhythm with Brownie and Jolene at the helm. Brownie retains his role as stock dispatcher, with Richard focusing his attention on the fert sowers and the company’s Ballance consignment store. You can’t put a value on that sort of institutional knowledge.

“We’re lucky we’ve got Richard with us because his knowledge around here is incredible,” Brownie says.

Today, the company also enjoys a good working relationship with Temuka Transport. During silage season it will usually put one or two trucks out with Peter Corcoran Contracting in Maitland (another longstanding MAN operator), and it also does a bit of work with Harliwich Contracting at Heriot.

And, internally, the respect and morale within the team of 11 is as good as it’s ever been. “Rex has always been of the mind that he will not send anyone to do anything he wouldn’t; he’s been there and done that himself,” Jolene comments. “It’s totally different, the way everyone interacts. We’re all pretty good friends,” she says.

“I think we’ve done pretty well to get to the stage we’re at … Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Brownie adds, leaving the last word to Richard.

“No one can argue that. It’s pretty impressive.”

FROM BULKIES TO BATHTUBS AND CHIP TO CRATES

Though we were at Waikaka Transport primarily to join Shaun and his new TGX on stock duties, we took the opportunity to follow some of the other divisions around the local area and check out some other trucks in the fleet.

Driver Adam Cotton was on a 5km run carting chip from a cleared windbreak to a feedlot at another paddock on Matt Byars’ farm in Chatton North. The red livery on his UD was a “failed experiment” some years back, we’re told.

Contract driver Ken Thompson was out in the Scania bathtub unit loading oats at the farm of Alistair Chittock near Crossans Corner, to be delivered the following day to Harraways at Dunedin. Although the farm has been operational for decades, this was only the second year oats had been sown in July.

In late 2022, Waikaka bought the International 9800i Eagle ex-Fletcher Transport. It’s loved and driven by Josh Brown. “When we bought it, the guys were so excited,” says Jolene. “Rex and I went down to pick it up, he drove it back, and by the time I got back to the yard, they had already piled in to take it down the road!”

Kylah Kerr jumped into the Mercedes Benz Arocs spreader and teamed up with Richard in the Zetros to spread some fert across a few paddocks in Waikaka. Kylah had always wanted a job in trucking but came up short, until Waikaka gave her the challenge of operating a spreader – and she’s proved to be a natural. “This, I think, is the first time I’ve had fert spreaders out in July. It’s usually mid-to late-August before we start,” Richard says.