I’m an Awanui boy through and through — born and raised. My childhood and most of my teenage years were spent around Awanui, Ngāi Takoto country, where I still have really strong whānau ties today. We whakapapa to Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa and Ngāti Kahu, my mid-90-year-old godmother, Myra Berghan, still lives on Kumi Road where I grew up. That place will always be home.
It was just me and my mum growing up, and watching how hard she worked to support us gave me the drive to carry that same work ethic. She also taught me to treat people how you’d want to be treated — something that’s stayed with me ever since.
Most people know me as Fish, good or bad. It’s a nickname that stuck early on, and now it’s so well known that a lot of people think it’s actually my real name. In a place like the Far North, your reputation matters more than your name anyway. Up here, reputation is everything. If we didn’t have a good one, we wouldn’t have made it twenty years in business.
My wife Alex and I started the electrical business when we were still really young, with two toddlers and a baby at home. It was tough, but that pressure became fuel. I had to provide for my whānau, and they’re still my biggest driver today. My grandfather, Darby Jones, played a huge role in shaping who I am — he’s actually tattooed on my forearm, so whenever I need a reminder of who I am and why I do this, he’s right there.
He’s since passed, but his influence is still with me every day. My original boss, Kev Cowie from Brents Electrical, gave me my start in the trade. He’s also passed, but I’ve never forgotten where that journey began. My mum also played a massive role, and I’ve been fortunate to have some incredible male and female mentors and role models throughout my life who helped guide me along the way.
We chose to stay in Te Hiku for our kids and now our Mokos. This place is home for us.
Running a trade business in a small community isn’t always a straight road. People are watching their pennies more these days, and balancing expectations while still delivering quality can be a challenge. I’ve always believed in bringing young people through the trade properly. We’ve taken on apprentices from early on and also had students come through during the year from the Gateway programme at Kaitaia College. Seeing our apprentices grow into capable tradesmen with strong work values has been one of the most rewarding parts of the journey. We’re still a whānau-based business, with me, Alex and our daughter Brenna at the front, and our staff are a big part of that too. I’m incredibly grateful for our staff and the long list of loyal customers who have backed us for two decades. We don’t take that for granted. I never imagined I’d be in a position to sponsor teams and events, but I remember being that kid who needed support to get to sports tournaments. Over the years we’ve been lucky enough to sponsor different things across Te Hiku, from soccer to rugby, sports academies and rodeos. It’s just our way of giving back.
Reflecting on twenty years in business, you realise how much this place shapes you — the good and the hard. Like the new name says, we are Far North. Before Kinetic, we traded as Fish Jones Electrical for fourteen years, so this journey has always been here in the Far North. Changing to Far North Electrical is about representing the place and people who have supported us from the start — it reflects our identity. The name just reflects who we are and where we come from.
I try my best. I’d love to be able to do it all for everyone, but that’s not always possible. I don’t know how everyone else does things, but whether it’s good or bad, I’d rather front up and face it. That’s just how I’m wired — I’d rather show up myself. At the end of the day, you can’t please everyone, and I’m by no means perfect. But we’re still here twenty years later, and I don’t take that lightly.
If I could say anything to someone thinking about starting out, it would be this — if you don’t go, you don’t know. Business has its challenges, but you learn a lot along the way.