The NZ Move It team
Meet a very fit and well-oiled machine. They are a team of movers – Mike McCahill the driver the day this photo was taken, Rob Crawford, Tom Koutrakis, and Barend Benschop. Add to that team – a skilled trio of packers – Jane Thomas, Andrea Quest-Rasmusen and Patu Hakaria plus two other crew who are part of the moving team, Riki Rameka and Leaham Braddick (working in Tairua that day and not in photos).
This is the NZ Move It team, the Coromandel Peninsula’s Packing, Removal and Storage Company that can move your belongings across the world, to the South Island or to next door. Their local team has expanded in this past year to 10 local drivers, crew and packing team based here in Whitianga.
The leader of this team and the owner of NZ Move It is David Pointon.
NZ Move It has been local and serving a local, national and international community since 2010. When Josh and Kylie Shepherd, previous owners, were planning their big move from Whitianga to Australia and selling the NZ Move It business, there was another family who had recently moved to New Zealand from Australia. That family was David Pointon and his wife, Zoe and their two children, Harry and Camilla.
They moved to Whitianga in March 2022 from Sydney as soon as the NZ borders opened up post COVID. Zoe’s parents had retired to Whitianga and David and Zoe thought Whitianga would be an idyllic location to raise their young family.
They moved to a lifestyle property on Mill Creek Road just about as far in context as you can get from their previous home of Bondi Beach, Sydney.
“We knew we had made the right choice, even before buying the business”, says David. “Family were here and this is such a great town for our children and for us. We really enjoy the local beaches and rivers and we’re getting into the infectious love of fishing – you can’t live here and not enjoy it right?”
David Pointon
David purchased the business in April 2025 and not long ago The informer had the pleasure of meeting David and his team. We had previously met David when he was crossing the finishing line of the 2025 Run Fest in which he was a very early finisher in the 21km distance.
These days, David’s fitness is well earned being hands-on with his team. He is passionate about the quality of service and care that NZ Move It goes to great lengths to give their customers.
“NZ Move It had a great local reputation here in Whitianga and we are building on that,” says David.
“We can assist with relocations that are local, anywhere in New Zealand and also international.”
We provide a full range of furniture relocation solutions for customers moving homes. That’s everything from packing, relocation and storage. Customers try our packing service and say they won’t move again without using us. We have had some who will go out for a game of golf and lunch or attend to business around town and return to their entire home carefully packed up for them.
“We often find ourselves moving furniture back and forth from Auckland/Tauranga/Hamilton to batches on the Coromandel Peninsula and bringing back large online purchases from Auckland. This includes assisting local commercial businesses with their relocation of stock and finished goods (e.g. large cabinets).”
When talking to the team members, they had some great stories of things that NZ Move It had undertaken. One of the trickiest jobs was moving three donkeys. “One just wouldn’t go in the truck,” said Barend, “and that donkey didn’t want the others to be compliant either.”
“The roads on the Coromandel Peninsula are a real challenge,” says David. “We are always on the road and juggling schedules with people’s most precious belongings. We must always assess the scale of a job and the location beforehand. Sometimes the truck isn’t going to fit going up a home owner’s drive so we plan alternative methods. We are trusted to do the job well, efficiently and carefully. We have earned that trust. We pack even when people are not there.”
David was previously a Director at Dutch investment bank ABN AMRO and has been involved in different business ventures in Australia. He feels at home with what he and Zoe are doing. He had been looking to find a local business opportunity that would also involve him in the local community. “I’ve enjoyed getting involved in local community groups such as coaching at Mercury Bay Football Club, coaching at Mercury Bay Swimming Club and I am a Board member of Mercury Bay Area School. Zoe is a co-founder and Co-CEO of Australian real estate tech business – OpenAgent.com.au and she continues to manage the business remotely.”
When asked about the future, David doesn’t hesitate. “We are very aware that moving homes (selling, settlement timing, packing, new location) is a very stressful and emotional journey. Our future is to take as much stress out and away from our customers as we can. We have an excellent team and people will always need to be on the move.”
