Seaview’s industrial area at the bottom of the Wainuiomata Hill seems a world away from the British Royal Family and Hyde Park. But these worlds met back in 2006 at the unveiling of the iconic New Zealand War Memorial in London.

“So there we were sitting by the Queen, Prince Phillip, Prince Charles, Prince William: Yeah it was a pretty different day to what we’re used to,” says Jen Waterson (Taranaki) who with her partner Brett Rangitaawa (Taranaki) own and manage The Heavy Metal Company. Artist Paul Dibble designed sixteen 700kg bronze statues and sought out their expertise to craft them. Brett and his team made the moulds and poured the bronze in their giant tilt furnaces at their Seaview metal foundry.

But along with the highlights, when you run your own business there’s also the tough times and Jen says the recession was about as tough as it gets. Cheaper foreign made goods were hard to compete with as New Zealand’s isolation means foundries pay more and wait longer for metal. Trusting some retailers who took goods on consignment but never paid made things even harder. Then there are the huge compliance costs as well as those things you can never predict: like losing the warehouse’s entire roof in a major storm. “We went from being a big business to being a small business but we got over it, we got through it.”

The journey began in 1999 when Brett – who’d gone straight from Wairarapa College into a metalworkers apprenticeship – discovered his employer was closing down. He had to either find a new trade or move to the nearest foundry up in Whanganui. But Jen says there was another option that Brett’s Uncle Phil Rangitaawa presented him with.

“He said: Look here’s some money, take it and start up your own business. If it fails, well too bad. If it succeeds, well give me my money back.” Sadly Phil – a tetraplegic who’d been paralysed years before in a rugby accident – passed away earlier this year but he’d been able to see his investment prosper. Jen pays tribute to the couple’s close network of supporters. “Our whānau and friends have seen us through. From Uncle Phil kick-starting us off, to the little pep talks, the hugs, my parents minding the kids. There’s so many instances of support, we are so lucky.”

Growing meant taking on support and advice from Te Puni Kōkiri business coaches and mentors via the Māori Business Facilitation Service. Right now they’re identifying business sectors and segments, as well as trying out three touch marketing campaigns.

Jen says if they could do anything again: getting expert advice and mentoring support from the beginning would be top of the list.

image: Brett Rangitaawa and kaimahi at Heavy Metal.