Hastie, Bruce Robert Interview

It’s Friday October 27th and I’m with Bruce Hastie in Havelock North to talk to him about his family. My name is Jenny Hall, and I look forward to hearing his story.

I was born in Waipukurau, 1st April 1933, and I was the youngest of five children and quite a bit younger than the others. In fact my next brother up is nine years older than me. However we were a good family, we all got on well together, and I’m very much indebted to [them for] the love and happiness that I received from all of them. Mum unfortunately died when I was five under an operation in the Waipukurau Hospital, and Dad passed away three years later when I was eight.

Could you tell me the names of your dad and your mum?, [and] tell us something about your dad?

Yeah, Dad[‘s] name was Alexander Hastie and my mum was Daisy Hastie, and Dad had a business in Waipukurau, a wool and skin business; he was in partnership with my eldest brother, by the name of Bill. The business was going along quite successfully but of course the war came along at the same time, so Bill was taken away to the war. Later on he was taken prisoner of war in Germany where he spent four years in the Prisoner of War camp. My sister Elsie’s husband, Reg Knobloch, was from Waipawa and he was a pilot officer over Germany and [when] his plane was hit, and he is now buried in Germany. Jim, my next brother up, was in the Air Force. After he came out of the Air Force he continued with the Hawke’s Bay Farmers in Waipuk, [Waipukurau] and later on he transferred to Wairoa as merchandise manager there; came back to Waipukurau and became fire chief of the Waipukurau Brigade. Bill, who was the prisoner of war, bought into a business in Waipukurau, then he became deputy mayor of Waipukurau.

After Dad died I was taken to Christchurch to live with an aunty; I stayed there for five years where I completed my primary school education. By that time the war was over and the family brought me back up to Waipukurau and I then attended the Napier Boys’ High School as a boarder. Once I’d finished with school I started a cabinet making apprenticeship with R Staines & Sons in Waipukurau. I finished that apprenticeship and felt I wanted to start in business of my own and so I came to Hastings looking to purchase a furniture business, but there was nothing around.

I was then put in contact with a person that [who] felt I should be able to take on another type of business, which was the Blue Moon retail ice cream business. And at that time the business was not running very successfully and only working about eight hours a day. I immediately increased these hours to fifteen hours a day, seven days a week, also making different changes in the business. I immediately – after a while – had to increase staff numbers because the business was becoming too much for me to handle on my own.

So anyhow, after ‘bout nine months running that business which was proving very successful, the grocer’s shop next door wasn’t running very successful[ly], so I bought that out and made improvements to that business, started employing staff there and changed it to become a Four Square business and I immediately had to employ three full time staff and one part time staff. And that worked in quite well because the businesses were next door to each other and they were easy enough for me to be able to manage.

So whereabouts were they situated?

Oh, they were in Heretaunga Street East, on the way to Havelock North.

About five or six years later, Harold Carr, who was my secretary [accountant] … he was also chairman of directors of [J] Wattie Canneries and [as well as] secretary of the Blue Moon Ice Cream Company … approached me and said would I like to become a shareholder in the ice cream company which was situated at the back of the shop. I said no, but I would buy the whole business out; it had seventeen shareholders and the chairman was Sir Edwin Bate – he was mayor of the town at the time. Fortunately we all got on well together to carry on with that business.

However, after a short period of time I found the equipment inadequate for me to be expanding the business the way I wanted to expand it. So anyhow, I found a section out here at Havelock North and I bought that section, which was the second section in the area; they’re all built on now. And I built a brand new factory there and set it all up with near enough new equipment which was capable of handling the business which we anticipated, and being able to make it worthwhile.

So did you still have the dairy at that stage?

Oh no; I’m sorry, I should’ve mentioned that. I found that once I bought the manufacturing side of the business out I sold both retail shops so that I could concentrate on the wholesale of the business.

So was that in the centre of Havelock North … somewhere in the commercial area there?

Yeah. That’s in the commercial area just straight opposite the BP service station here in Havelock. And when I bought the business it was employing three full time staff in the factory and one driver/salesman, and he wasn’t full time. After a wee while I managed to increase the business [so] that we had about thirty different flavours of ice cream …

Wow!

… and be [we were] able to manufacture our own ice blocks and sundaes; we had a full selection of products that you could buy and meet the requirements for an ice cream factory.

Did you have someone who developed the flavours for you?

I developed most of them myself, and if I ever got into any difficulties I had a good association with the professor down in the Massey University who was a great help if I required any help. Anyhow, after a wee while I put a full time truck into Hastings, and another full time truck into Napier and we were employing roughly round about eight to ten people full time, and we were servicing other areas in the district. There was [were] distributors which I set up in other areas … in Taranaki, Manawatu, Wellington and Gisborne.

So when you took over the business, did the people who were from Wattie’s come …

Yes, they proved fairly successful, those distributors, and we had a good relationship with them all.

So at that time were you distributing, ‘cause it’s obviously … you know, early days … there wouldn’t’ve been supermarkets; you’d be delivering to dairies and grocery shops?

Yeah, that’s right.

Yeah, a bit different to now

Yeah – well of course that sort of thing came into it a bit later on. And while this was happening I became president of the New Zealand Independent Ice Cream Manufacturers, and a little bit later on I became vice-present of the New Zealand Ice Cream Manufacturers.

So you would’ve been making your ice cream about the same time as Rush Munro’s would’ve been around?

Oh yes, yes.

So were you in competition with them, or you were doing completely separate different things?

Well when I was in the retail business we were competitors, but of course once I went into the wholesale part of the business it was a different type of set-up; so you know, we were establishing shops around the place that took our products and that sort of thing, so no doubt it did have some sort of problems as far as he was concerned with the way we were running the business.

Yeah, so the ice cream you were making was more commercial perhaps, than Rush Munro’s ‘cause Rush Munro’s at that time would’ve probably been just for their own area, not distributing?

Yeah, a lot of the recipes … when I took the business over it had about eight different varieties, and I stuck to those recipes and that sort of thing. So the other additional flavours which I introduced came, a lot of it, from the original recipe, so we did try and stick to the original recipes as much as possible.

So the business was running along fairly well and I was pleased that we’d made made the expansion of shifting into the other premises which I owned as well. So I had no landlords or anything like that to worry about, and with good equipment, made a big difference to our repairs and maintenance. And there was always a good comradeship between myself and the staff.

So where did you get your milk you would’ve needed? From local farms or were there local dairy factories ..?

Yeah, we used a product … was a milk powder which was that [as] near to the proper cream and milk as you could get, and that made quite a big difference … [we] tried to buy many products locally – the fruit and various ingredients. We bought from local growers strawberries and boysenberries; they used to keep supplying me each year with what I needed, and we bought for the year and froze down to enable us to be able to manufacture the product right through the year. That was a good moment.

After a wee while we were getting frozen food agencies for distribution through supermarkets and different places, so that was in addition to what we were already doing, and the frozen food side of the business started to become quite profitable after a while.

Talking about frozen food, as in what?

Oh, frozen peas and corn.

And did you process it yourself?

No, no, we bought in product which was ready for distribution and we just held them in our cool stores, and sold them on the stock we had

So you were sort of like the middle man?

Yeah. Yes, so the business seemed to go along pretty good and that sort of thing and …

So how long were you in business with that?

I had that for about seventeen years I expect, and then I unfortunately made a decision which I regretted. Someone came along and wanted to buy the business, and I wasn’t keen on selling because we were doing very well. They kept coming back to me, so my accountant said to me, “It’s not every day you can sell an ice cream factory, Bruce.” [Chuckle] And I said, “Oh … yeah, don’t expect it is.” So I started negotiations with them, and the idea of the business was that I sold the business and the buildings and they were two separate sales. So I sold out; and they only lasted about six to nine months and they could not continue – they went into bankruptcy.

Oh no!

Yeah. And I lost many thousands of dollars through that and …

Did they just not have the … you know, the know-how to keep it going?

Well they had their own ideas; they didn’t want me around. They wanted to use my factory to supply the Wellington market as they had another factory in Tauranga which they thought could supply the Auckland market. But the thing was this, that neither knew anything about the ice cream industry. One was a director of a frozen poultry business and the other one was an accountant, and they thought they knew exactly what they wanted, and no matter what help I offered they just didn’t want to know.

So anyhow, fortunately I had the sale of the building, and I immediately looked round to invest in other commercial properties, which I did. That was a very successful venture as I ended up with six commercial tenants, and some of them were national tenants. The building I bought was in a good area in town and showed good prospects, so I was very happy there; I’d also partitioned part of it off at the back as a food factory, because I was getting people wanting me to start and make ice cream again. So I used that food premises for making soda syrups for soda machines, and toppings for milkshakes and ice creams, and all that sort of thing, and I was distributing that around a few of the areas around the country.

I had a friend who was a director of a company in Auckland that [who] came down and said to me, “Well Bruce, I’m going to start up in competition to you.” And I said, “Oh, that’s all right.” But he said, “We’d like you to either go to Auckland and be our factory manager, or have the distribution rights for the bottom half of the North Island.” And I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll see if I can rent my factory.’ I had three people wanting to rent it, so I rented that as well and I took on the distribution rights for the bottom half of the North Island. It was straight commission, and I then added other lines to the lines which I had. I did that for about eleven years for the bottom [half of the] North Island; that worked out quite well.

Would that’ve been at the time when perhaps supermarkets were just beginning?

Yeah. Yep, that’s right.

Did that make life easier, dealing with supermarkets rather than dealing with little you know, one-man grocery shops?

Oh yes, because I was also calling on not only supermarkets but other wholesalers as well.

Oh, right, yep.

But in between [the] time when I got out of the Blue Moon Ice Cream Company and starting this other business, I was doing up houses and selling them off. I did quite a few of those, and some I built. And then I also did another development of two town houses and a house here in Havelock North, and they sort of went along quite successfully.

What a busy life! How did you fit it in?

Well funnily enough everything just seemed to go along. I’ve been very interested in Freemasonry through my life, and I’ve been Master of the Lodge four times, and District Grand Master once. I’ve also been involved in the church; I’ve held several positions in the church.

Which church was that?

The Presbyterian Church.

In Havelock North?

In Hastings. So … and you just asked me how I got through it all. Well …

Did you have children who came into business with you?

No. [Chuckle] When I was approached about selling the business I said to Andrew, my son … he was at secondary school at the time … “Do you want to take this business on at some stage?” And he said, “No way, Dad!” He said, “I’ve seen the way you work – I don’t want to work like that.” Which was a good move on his part because he’s been quite successful in what he’s done. And the [my] daughter, she had moved onto something else as well. So unfortunately the family weren’t interested in taking the business on, otherwise I would’ve kept that business for them. Yes …

So just going back … that last business you talked about, is that where you finished your working life?

Yep. I retired … I was sixty-two at the time, and I was feeling a bit burnt out. I looked around, and I thought, ‘Well I should be able to retire now.’ And so I did retire which I very much appreciated, although I did enjoy my working life. I had no complaints there at all, and fortunately I never had any health problems, and that was a big thing in my favour. Unfortunately I had a failed marriage after twenty-four years, but I’m happily married now, so that’s the main thing. So it’s a matter of turning your life around and getting on with it.

We’re going to win right back to your parents … Your mum, what was her maiden name?

Brown.

Where did her parents come from?

Yeah, thank you for asking me that; it’s very important. They came from Dunedin. Her father who was my grandfather, started off in a bakery business when he was twelve and worked very well, and he became a very successful business person in Dunedin. He retired at the age of forty-four. He had also tea rooms as well as his bakery, and that was very successful. He was known very well in Dunedin, and his pies became quite famous. Whatever he seemed to cook he did very, very well at.

So was he born in Dunedin?

Yes, he was born in Dunedin.

So his family came out from ..?

Scotland. And Dad’s side of the family lived in Dunedin as well; they had a small farm out at Taieri in Dunedin, and so Mum and Dad were in Dunedin for quite a few years before they shifted around …

So grandparents on both sides of your family were born in New Zealand?

Yes.

So you go back to your great-grandparents who came out to New Zealand?

Mmm.

And they all came to Dunedin; how did your family then end up here?

Yeah, well Dad had the opportunity of taking over this business up here at Waipukurau – the wool and skin business, which he did. And Bill, my brother, was at the stage where he hadn’t long left school, and they formed a partnership. They were quite well-known around Central Hawke’s Bay for what they were doing.

And so you were born in Waipukurau; your wife, where did she come from?

No, Colleen comes from Ohakune.

Is that your first wife?

No, my second wife.

Your first wife?

Oh, she was from Hastings, yes.

And what was her maiden name?

Crawford.

Her Christian name was …

Oh, Shirley.

And you had children from that marriage?

Yeah, two.

Andrew, you talked about?

Yeah, and [?Kelvie?].

And are they living locally?

No, Andrew lives on the Gold Coast and Kelvie is in Hamilton.

So not close to you?

No.

And then your second wife, she was a local person?

No, she came from Ohakune; she was born in Ohakune, and then she shifted to Wanganui where she lived for quite a few years, and that’s where I met her; in Wanganui.

And her maiden name?

Her maiden name was Goldfinch. They were quite well known up in Ohakune and they were early settlers up that way.

So you’ve got [a] son and a daughter, so obviously you have grandchildren?

Yes, yes, two of them. Nathan at the present time has done quite well at university, and he’s been travelling for several months now and seems to enjoy travelling … waiting for him to settle down. And Jessica, she’s a ski instructor; she travels around the different areas, overseas and here, instructing …

She follows the winters?

Yeah … but no, they’re doing quite well.

So since you’ve been retired you’ve obviously still had your hand in with Freemasons and the church …

Mmm.

Did you have other sort of hobbies or groups you got involved with?

No, not really. I’ve been involved with … you know, going back a few years I was a director of the YMCA, and a few other organisations in Hastings. I’m a great believer in … the people of Hastings were good to me and it was over to me to be able to try and hand back some of my time to other organisations. Also, I owe a lot to my family who were so good to me.

So having been a businessman you’d have seen a lot of changes in Hastings as far as businesses and things go?

Yes, I have – Hastings I’m very pleased to say is doing well; we were at a bit of a stalemate there for quite a few years, but fortunately the council are making good decisions. And I feel Hastings will be one of the leading places to come and retire, or set up business around here. We’re busy with horticultural areas and I think that will hold us in good stead for the future.

You’re here at Mary Doyle which has expanded and is quite a big retirement link, but there’s lots of others appearing. You know, I mean, Hawke’s Bay and this area probably is attractive to retirees …

Oh, absolutely, yes – we’re very happy here and very fortunate to be here sort of thing … and to be able to keep reasonably good health to be able to enjoy it as well. We have good friends …

Do you belong to any clubs now?

No.

You’re still in contact with the church, obviously?

No, not quite so much with the church recently. I’ve sort of been pulling back on a few things and that sort of thing, but yeah, I have been in the past. The same with Freemasonry – I’ve been very involved with that and I’m pulling back from that as well.

How did you get involved with that – was it through people you knew?

No, no. Oh, well actually, someone came into the shop one day and said … ‘cause I just kept working all the time … one of my customers came in and they said, “Bruce, there’s something here you should join.” And I said, “Oh, what’s that?” And they said, “Freemasonry.” I said, “Oh, what’s that?” They said “You’ll find out, just sign here.” And I did that, [chuckle] and it was one of the best things I ever did. Then after a wee while I found out that my uncle was Assistant Provincial Grand Master of the Wellington District and my grandfather in Dunedin was a Past Master of the Scottish Constitution in Dunedin. So these are the things … I’ve had the opportunity of meeting lots of people which I’d never ever have had the opportunity of before.

Because you don’t actually hear about it, do you?

No.

It’s not a group that is sort of out there for people to know about, yeah …

But you’d be surprised at the amount of good that we’re doing all the time, and that sort of thing. I was Benevolence Officer for eight years, and walking into people’s homes which didn’t have anything; and we could stock up their cupboards and do all sorts of things, and help. We are the biggest providers in New Zealand of the scholarships. There are other firms that help, but we are the biggest provider of scholarships.

Is that for …

University.

And so each group provides for the area that you live in?

Yeah. Yeah, I’ve been to the awards in Wellington and wherever they have them, and seen the good that these young people are finding, but it’s the help that Freemasonry’s given them.

Oh that’s interesting, I didn’t know that.

This year we were the main sponsorships [sponsors] of the Games for the Paraplegics …

Disability?

Disability, up in Hamilton. Everyone came from all over the country for that. So we work quietly in a lot of areas

Now you’ve been very busy in your life with you know, working in businesses and whatever … have you ever had the chance to travel? Oh yes, Colleen and I, we’ve done [a] few overseas trips and that; we’ve seen quite a bit. But travelling is all right, but it’s always good to get home.

[Chuckle] I agree. [Chuckles]

I’ve been very fortunate in my life; I’ve got no regrets … oh, well I have got the odd one …

But you were lucky with your businesses, that you’ve obviously had good staff behind you to keep things going?

Oh, I can’t speak highly enough of the staff I had, and I always worked with them as much as possible

And going back to Blue Moon days, when the business was taken over here in Havelock North the name sort of died out, did it?

Yes it has.

Ooh … like the vans.

Yeah.

Okay, well I think we’ve covered a lot of ground. You talk[ed] about your marriage, [and] I just wonder how much time you actually had to spend with your wife?

I was always very careful to spend time with family; I place family … very important in my life. Being in the situation I was in I didn’t want anyone to feel in that same situation so I did try.

And because you lost your mum and dad, you know, when you were so young, you didn’t have that family tie to keep you together, did you?

Well funny you should say that, but my brothers and sisters seemed to take over and had quite a big input into helping bring me up. They were absolutely wo[nderful] – they did all they could do for me.

So through those years of you growing up, you had times together as a family, for weddings and family events?

Oh yes. Yes. We used to place a lot of importance on family. It was one of the most worrying times of the lot when my brother was in prisoner of war camp. He was missing in Crete for quite some time before we got news that he was a prisoner, and that was a terrible time in our lives; in fact I think that particular time just about finished Dad off. They were very close together, and he’d been away at the war. And by the way Dad was in the Boer War, and he knew what war was like.

That would’ve affected [him] even more with him having been in the Boer War and then having his children going off to war …

Mmm. And I firmly believe he was missing Mum. And he had a heart problem and a few things like this; and he was very lonely.

Well, I mean your mum, you know … someone going into hospital, you don’t expect them to not come out again, do you?

No. So that was a …

A hard time for your family?

… very hard time. But you know, we all came through all right and stuck together, and … funny the way things work out.

We might stop there; thank you, Bruce, for talking to us and telling us about your history because the businesses you were in were probably a big part of Hastings, and you’ve obviously contributed a lot to the area. So thank you very much for doing this interview.

Thank you.