Men in business

Men in Business Q&A – recently showcased in the Marlborough Weekly, see their full Q&A here and join us in celebrating Marlborough men shaping Marlborough’s business landscape!

Will Porter - Bayleys Marlborough

What do you love most about your job and working in Marlborough?The landscape. I can't picture another place where I can work in one of the most beautiful parts of the country, have adventures in snowcapped mountains in the morning, be fishing in the Marlborough Sounds in the afternoon and fitting a winery lunch in between.

What or who inspires you most?
My partner Bailey. I was really impressed with the illustrious career she had built in real estate but when she became a mother 10 months ago to our son, my admiration and respect for her grew tenfold. It was the most overwhelming thing I’d ever seen anyone go through.

What sentence best describes you?
Adventurous and fun-loving workaholic!

What's your biggest achievement professional and personally?
Professionally it would be taking out the Bayley’s national marketing campaign last year. Personally, it was becoming a father. It's certainly made me wonder what I was up to beforehand.

What's your favourite idle moment?
Before our child came along it was always cooking a meal on top of a mountain range looking over Marlborough during a sunrise or sunset, watching the colours transform and the wild animals move about with a good friend. Now my happy place is putting my son in the backpack and taking him for a walk/fish up the river.

What's next on your bucket list?
I’d love to take my family to Africa to see all the wild animals and experience the culture. I’d also like to go salmon fishing with my dad in Alaska.

Most embarrassing moment on the job?
I had a call to do an appraisal in a bay in the Sounds I hadn’t been to before with no road access. Approaching the Bay in my boat, I spotted the client waving from the shoreline. I dropped my anchor, jumped over the back of the boat and went up to my chest in mud. It turned out that the vendor hadn’t been waving me in but was actually trying to point me to a safer landing spot. My paperwork all dissolved and it took me ten minutes to swim through the mud to shore. She said that she’d heard I went over and above but that was next level. In retrospect it was very funny but made for a tough day.

For more information about what I do please visit my website: https://www.bayleys.co.nz/agents/will-porter-5198

David James - David James Picture Taker

What do you love most about your job and working in Marlborough?
The people, hands down. Marlborough’s best kept secret is the people. There’s so much heart in this region, and I feel lucky to give back to a community that’s given me so much.

What or who inspires you most?
People who’ve turned struggle into something meaningful. And the people who stay weird, honest, and vulnerable in their work.

Biggest achievement – professionally and personally?
Staying committed to real connection – through business, through art, and through showing up honestly. And hitting 10 years sober this July.

What sentence best describes you?
Creative, introspective, and quietly determined.

Favourite idle moment?
Coffee when it’s still dark in the morning, then running as far as I can. A solo half marathon clears the noise. Feeling the sun rise while moving. Magic!

Next on your bucket list?
Planning feels like tempting fate. I just want to move towards things that excite me.

Most embarrassing moment on the job?
Fell into Pollard Park river at 8am during a family shoot. Soaked. Committed.

For more information about what I do please visit my website: https://davidjames.studio/

Brad Taylor - Taylor & Co Building Ltd

What do you love most about your job?
I get a real sense of satisfaction watching a project come together while also being able to pass on what I've learned to our apprentices. It’s always great to see them gaining skills and achieving milestones

What or who inspires you the most?
My family. I did my apprenticeship with my dad who had a building company for many years. He was always a hard worker so I’ve always want to push myself for him and my mum as well as my wife Jaz who works in the business with me, and my daughter.

What's your biggest achievement?
A few years back we won two awards at the Marlborough Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards. Being there to celebrate with my staff and family was definitely a standout moment in my professional career. On a personal level, it has to be becoming a dad to my four-year-old daughter Elayna. There’s nothing quite like it.

What sentence best describes you?
Builder by trade, family by heart, fueled by Red Bull and a fascination with sharks.

What is your favourite idle moment?
Heading out on the boat and then enjoying a cold beer with friends or family.

What’s next on your bucket list?
Diving with sharks in Jupiter, Florida next month and then Tiger Beach in the Bahamas next year. I’ve been passionate about sharks since I was five and am studying marine science by correspondence in my spare time. I will be doing multiple free dives with them this year which will be incredible, before Scuba Diving at Tiger Beach. Sharks are such an important part of the ecosystem and it will be a dream come true to see them in their natural habitats.

Most embarrassing moment on the job?
The first week doing my apprenticeship. You go out and buy all these new tools, and I remember that showing up I got absolutely ripped out because I didn't even know how to operate probably 50% of them. That first week I felt very green but very excited.

For more information about what I do please visit my website: https://bradtaylorconstruction.co.nz/

Reilly Quirk - Inspire Tennis

What do you love most about your job and working in Marlborough?
The people and the climate - we don’t have any indoor tennis courts in Blenheim so the weather plays a major role in how much coaching we’re able to do each week. Thankfully, our climate here in Marlborough is not only amazing for growing grapes it’s also very good for coaching tennis outdoors all year round.

What or who inspires you most?
Not just one person inspires me, but instead many people do. I like to look at different coaches and sporting figures around the world and take bits from them all to adapt to the tennis coaching industry.

What’s your biggest achievement – professionally and personally?
My biggest achievement professionally and personally is how much we (along with many Club & Association committee members over the years) have turned tennis around here in Marlborough. We started a junior tennis coaching program with 7 players and have turned the Marlborough Region into one of the strongest regions for junior tennis in the South Island.

What sentence best describes you?
Fiercely competitive yet fair minded, not afraid to get stuck into a job!

What’s your favourite idle moment?
Spending time with my family.

What’s next on your bucket list?
I’d love to tick off attending all four grand slams. So far I’ve been to Wimbledon and the Australian Open. French Open and US Open to go.

Most embarrassing moment on the job?
Two embarrassing moments come to mind, both involving a car. While driving into the old entrance way into Renwick Tennis Club, after heavy rain, I slid down the embankment into a (thankfully empty) children’s play ground and required a tow truck to pull me out. The second is getting stuck on a local school's rugby field while 3 or 4 classes of children watched on!

For more information about what I do please visit my website: https://www.facebook.com/inspiretennisltd/

Corey Hebberd - Rangitane o Wairau

What do you love most about your job and working in Marlborough?
I love the variety my role brings — no two days are the same. But what really drives me is the people, the kaupapa we support, and seeing positive change happen on the ground. It’s especially meaningful to be doing this mahi here in Wairau, on whenua my whānau have called home for generations.

What or who inspires you most?
The belief that things can always be better — and the responsibility to roll up your sleeves and be part of making that happen.

What’s your biggest achievement – professionally and personally
Professionally: Being named Business Person of the Year in 2023 was a real honour. But more than that, I’m proud of the work to support my whānau and community through Rangitāne.

Personally: Prioritising my wellbeing and making space for hauora. It’s a journey — but one I’m committed to.

What sentence best describes you?
Hillary Clinton once said, “We are all works in progress.” That resonates with me — I’m someone who’s always looking to grow, do better, and contribute more.

What’s your favourite idle moment?
Time on my own! I’m more introverted than people think, so being somewhere quiet helps me recharge and refocus.

What’s next on your bucket list?
Finally ticking off my OE – a working holiday, pouring pints somewhere in Europe has always had appeal.

Most embarrassing moment on the job?
The classic reply-all fail… enough said!

For more information about what I do please visit my website: https://www.rangitane.org.nz/rangitane/

Ben Stace - Design Marlborough Architecture

What do you love most about your job and working in Marlborough?The variety, without a doubt. One day we're designing a project with views of the Wither Hills, the next we're inspired by the Sounds. That diversity in our work and our lifestyle is what makes living and working here unbeatable.

What’s your biggest achievement – professionally and personally?
"It's tough to pick just one, but professionally, reaching the five-year mark with Design Marlborough Architecture in 2023 was incredibly fulfilling. Building the business I always wanted, especially through the challenges of Covid, and now seeing our successful designs shaping the region is something I'm very proud of. On a personal level, marrying my incredible wife, Alexandra is absolutely my biggest achievement."

What or who inspires you most?
I'm deeply inspired by the greats of 20th-century architecture like Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies Van Der Rohe, alongside brilliant New Zealand architects like Ken Crossan and Lance & Nicola Herbst. Their shared principle that every building must be 'of its place' – designed to perfectly suit and enhance its unique context is a core idea that is a constant guide.

What sentence best describes you?
I am a results-oriented Designer, driven by a deep conviction in the power of good design to transform everyday living.

What’s your favourite idle moment?
There haven't been nearly enough of them lately, but my favourite idle moment is being in the Marlborough Sounds. Whether I'm out on the boat, relaxing by the water, or deep in the bush, it's my favourite place in the world. I just can't get enough of it, and making more time there is a big priority this summer!

What’s next on your bucket list?
Next on my personal bucket list is the exciting journey of establishing our 'forever home.' We're currently in the process of purchasing a new property, and unlike our previous renovations focused on resale, this project will be a long-term labour of love entirely for us. I'm incredibly eager to get started and begin planning every detail!

Most embarrassing moment on the job?
My most embarrassing moment on the job goes back to my very first role at Marlborough District Council. A senior colleague took me water sampling at one of the dams above Picton. As he navigated the lake's edge, he lost his balance and started toppling in. He instinctively reached out for me, hoping I'd save him. But in that split second, I calculated I had no chance of pulling him back, so I simply threw my hands in the air and watched him go for a swim! I was pretty embarrassed and he never let me forget it!

For more information about what I do please visit my website: https://www.designmarlborough.co.nz/about

Neal Williams - NCO Properties

What do you love most about your job and working in Marlborough?
I love meeting people from all walks of life. I get to know the tenants and see their kids growing up over the years. Some of the landlords I meet are accidental landlords (inherited a property) or first-time property investors and I am able to help them with advice and guidance. I love Marlborough because of the weather and the short travel distances.

What’s your biggest achievement professionally and personally?
My biggest achievement personally is my son who is developing into a very capable young man and making me proud. My biggest achievement professionally was leaving my high-powered career in Auckland to move to Marlborough for my family to grow in a safe environment.

What’s your favourite idle moment?
I love to play disc golf either with others down at the Taylor River Reserve or have a quick round on my own.

What’s next on your bucket list?
The main goal is to reach the maximum number of properties under my management and maintain that level while still providing a professional yet personal service to my landlords and tenants.

Most embarrassing moment on the job?
Once my tenants kept telling me that the lawn mowing contractor had not been for weeks and the contractor was telling me he had been there every fortnight. It turned out he had been mowing the neighbour’s lawn. I guess the neighbours were happy.

What or who inspires you most?
My Residential Property Managers Association of New Zealand’s mentor and fellow Marlborough Property Investors inspire my property management journey and my wife supports me fully in my business.

What sentence best describes you?
I am practical, personable and professional in what I do.

For more information about what I do please visit my website: https://www.nco.co.nz/

Phillip Kenny - Max George Joiners

What do you love most about your job & working in Marlborough?
I really enjoy building relationships with clients, discussing their vision with them and then seeing those ideas come to life in the finished products we make here at Max George Joinery. The work is very diverse and always interesting. We can be making kitchens one week and custom joinery for residential and commercial clients the next. Marlborough with its great outdoors and lifestyle is a wonderful place to raise a family.

What's your biggest achievement professional and personally?
I feel very fortunate to have lived and worked in Perth for a number of years where I was able to gain many great life and work skills that I have been able to bring back to Marlborough. Raising my two boys, now 8 and 11, with my wife Gemma Kenny has been a wonderful, fulfilling personal achievement.

What sentence best describes you?
The three ‘H’s - hardworking, humble and humorous while also being a committed family man who enjoys being out in the community involved in sport.

What's your favourite idle moment?
I thoroughly enjoy being out on the rugby field supporting our sons. We are very fortunate to live in a great area where fishing is a very pleasurable activity. Just being in the outdoors and enjoying sports are favourite past times.

What's next on your bucket list?
Right now I can picture a holiday in a nice warm climate enjoying time with my family.

For more information about what I do please visit my website: https://www.maxgeorgejoiners.co.nz/