Meet Mark McManus. He is not a newcomer to Whitianga, as he has been here trying to retire for six years. However, he is a newcomer in terms of establishing his business here on the Coromandel.
“When I was 15, my mates and I would come in an old van in the summer and sleep on Buffalo Beach in a tent. Later, we would stay at the camping ground near the wharf. Whitianga was where we lived for the summer holidays.They were great times.”
It was Mark’s family who brought him back to Whitianga. “I wasn’t thinking about moving from Auckland until my daughter and son-in-law moved up here. I am keen on supporting my family and being there for the grandchildren, so I came with semi- retirement in mind. My main motivation for coming was to come and be some kind of support as they ran their businesses, which are Nautical Homes and DLM Construction. In these six years I have found that I have been able to use my business skills and experience to do quite a lot here and slowly reduce my Auckland involvement. Frankly, I have become a little bored of being semi-retired,” says Mark.
He visited The Informer to get properly started in his business in Whitianga and on the Peninsula, believing he can add to the economy, provide employment and eventually assist young people, in starting out in a trade; his thirteen-year-old grandson was his inspiration. He sees that many businesses are doing that in this area and he realized that he could be part of encouraging skilled trades to young people so they don’t have to re-invent the wheel.
Mark’s line of work covers a wide range – landscaping, design, retaining walls, foundations, concrete and paving, sewer pump installation and maintenance, drainage, piling and earth removing. “None of these jobs come easy,” says Mark. “We need to demonstrate professional ability. It is not something bestowed upon a promise or personality; it must be earned – people are watching for professionalism at a number of levels“.
“Of all the projects I have been responsible for or a part of, I think the one that pleases me is the Victoria Park Skate Park in Auckland. It was a design, landscape and build project. There was a phase of my business where building skateboard parks was a major activity because of demand.”
Victoria Skate Park Auckland
Mark has four trucks and three diggers on standby and during the last storm in April, he had prepared his half-dozen generators in case people needed them if a power cut occurred. “I have a lifetime of tools that are waiting to be used“.
Mark McManus Mobile: 027 493 1601. Email: mark@pmcivil.co.nz
