Meet Our Team - Summer

13 Dec, 2023

The team at Kings are plant people – passionate and enthusiastic about caring for plants. Get to know a few of our team, and the story of how their love for plants came about. With their expertise and love for plants, they’re here to help you grow well.

Patrick

Garden Centre Assistant / Assistant Manager

I was born and raised in China in a city called Wenzhou in the Zhejiang province. My hometown has more than 9 million people, most of them living in high-rise apartments. Having a house with a garden is a real luxury. When I arrived in New Zealand seeing all the plants and even clouds against a blue sky was special – I just knew this would be home! After graduating from my horticulture diploma, I worked in a rose nursery for 6 years. I’ve always wanted to learn more about plants and Kings has been the perfect place to put my existing knowledge to good use while also growing my skills with managing a garden centre. Working with plants daily and sharing what I know with customers is super rewarding. Right now, the rose and shrub areas of the store are getting my attention. And I’m also one of the team looking after Kings Chinese customer community using the popular app 'Little Red Book' #kingsplantbarn.

Lara

Dispatch Assistant

My family were Croatian immigrants who settled down in west Auckland. Famously growing apples and stone fruit for generations. My great grandad even cultivated his own variety of apple ‘Oratia Beauty.’ A tart, mottled apple that Kings sold. My fondest memories in the garden were with my grandparents. Picking berries through bird netting, watching my grandma prune her roses, playing in the petals of my grandads cherry blossoms and leaving with bags full of fresh veggies from their garden. I love working as part of the web team. Packing customer orders, taking pictures for the website, helping customers to find that one plant they saw online a few years ago. The mahi that goes into every aspect of this place is amazing. And yes, our plants don’t die in the post! Over the years, we’ve crafted a way to make sure the precious cargo doesn’t snap, bend or wilt.

Dave

Garden Centre Assistant / Forklift Driver

After 40 or so years working in leadership positions in the financial services industry and also roles helping people with mortgage and insurance needs it was time to put the ‘suit & tie’ to one-side. The prospect of finding work that offered me some much-needed balance back into my life, as well connecting daily with people were high on my wish list. What began as a venture into a whole new industry has quickly turned into a fulfilling experience where no two days are the same. I get a real kick out of chatting with customers about our products, keeping a close eye on the smooth running of our yard and local distribution operation, as well as getting out and about with valuable deliveries for our customers. The bonus for me has been the fantastic team camaraderie. The store team is awesome to work with, and I learn something new every day. Our customers are always so friendly, and who could turn down working in a great garden centre with an equally great café? The other good thing about working at Kings is the balance of time that’s left in my week to enjoy my other passion – performance motorbikes!

Charlotte

Instore Product Manager

After a couple of years working as a Florist, I took the leap into Garden Centres and 23 years later I am still here. Kings has been a fantastic place to work and learn massive amounts of plant knowledge. Horticulture is an amazing industry where you meet growers and fellow enthusiastic plant people. I have enjoyed following along with different garden trends and seeing Auckland gardens change over the decades. As an enthusiastic retailer I have enjoyed spending the last 18 years managing different branches and meeting so many wonderful staff and customers. This year I have transitioned to being part of the Product team who bring new and exciting products to our branches. Part of my job is to build good relationships with our amazing group of suppliers. I particularly like to support smaller Auckland makers and suppliers, so our customers can add those special unique touches to the home or garden.

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