DECEMBER 2024
A social network
There was a time when the multi-national fuel conglomerates ignored Waitomo Group, but not now, writes Chris Gardner.
Environmental, Social and Governance spheres, “The Social is where it all begins,” he says. “It goes back to what you’re doing for the community and putting funds back into the pockets of Kiwis. It’s connecting people, getting people to their jobs, to kapa haka, family reunions, whatever. That’s social, and the affordability to do that is what we’re guaranteeing with our competition in a lot of these markets.” Waitomo Group is doing more in the environmental space. “We’re just partnering with Hiringa Energy to build New Zealand’s first hydrogen refilling network for heavy transport,” Parham says. Hydrogen has the potential for near-zero greenhouse gas emissions. “We took away that whole chicken and egg question, we’ve dropped our capital, to invest in a hydrogen refilling network. It’s there now, just bring the trucks.” Winning the Business Growth and Strategy Award followed five years of concerted growth after the company asked itself what a minimum credible network looked like. The answer was 75 fuel stations. “We’ve decided part of what we want to do is supercharge our network growth and I guess you’re seeing it at the moment,” Parham says. It’s thumbs up from Waitomo Group owner Jimmy Ormsby, left, and chief executive Simon
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Photo: Chris Gardner.
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Parham. Photo: Chris Gardner.
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W
hen Waitomo Group comes to town, fuel prices plummet. “Back in the day the majors, BP, Mobil, etc, would pretty much ignore us,” chief executive Simon Parham told The News after winning the top Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business Awards accolade last month. “Now they don’t.” The Hamilton company has become one of New Zealand’s largest independent fuel suppliers since Desmond Ormsby founded it in Te Kūiti 77 years ago. The company has grown from employing half a dozen in 1947 to nearly 100 and just as many contractors. Today the company is owned in partnership by Ormsby’s grandson Jimmy. Since 2012 - when the company diversified from fuel wholesale to add retail to its offering - Waitomo Group has opened 101 public fuel stations to its supply network across the country. “People are looking for value,” Parham says. “It’s tough going out there, really tough going. People will keep on saying survive to ‘25. “We’re there, we’re investing.” Waitomo opened two fuel stops in Nelson last month, bringing the total of new fuel stops this year up to 11 across the country. The Commerce Commission and the Automobile Association had described Nelson as having some of the most expensive fuel in New Zealand, but prices dropped as Waitomo Group entered the market. “People have to see us as a credible and viable offer for not just the retail front, but also on a commercial front as well,” Parham says. The Waitomo team walked into the business awards as a finalist in five categories and walked out with three awards. Waitomo Group won the Business Growth and Strategy Award and the Sustainability Award before clinching the Supreme Winner Award. Parham says a fuel company winning a sustainability award might seem like a joke, but the win proved the company was achieving in