Celebrating a Howick legend: Wayne Rowe clocks up his 40th year

Wayne Rowe, Howick’s General Manager, is one of the company’s most experienced and capable people, but it’s been quite a journey for him! It all started in 1984 when he was fresh out of school and decided it was time to get a job: 

“Back then I wasn’t into school, I just went to play sport and mess around with my mates. The pathway was to get an apprenticeship, not uni[versity]. So I sent letters to all sorts of companies.” 

A reply from Howick, then called Howick Engineering, caught his eye, so he interviewed and was offered a fitter and turner apprenticeship. This was the start of a 40-year career, during which Wayne has grown a few extra grey hairs and progressed from a rough and ready apprentice, to an ultra-capable General Manager.  

To celebrate his impressive milestone and his huge contribution to the company, we sat down to chat about the last four decades.  

From the shop floor to General Manager 

Howick is a mid-sized business now with 50 employees, but back in 1984 when Wayne started it was much smaller: 

“Howick was different… When I started there were six or eight people. A couple of apprentices. It was called Howick Engineering,” Wayne said.  

“... We only had half of the building back then…... We were just doing general engineering and specialised machines. Everything was one-off.” 

Wayne took off to the UK for his OE as soon as he finished his apprenticeship and stayed in the UK for nine months. While there he travelled to Munich and the Swiss Alps, but the move didn’t stick: 

“There’s too many pubs there,” Wayne laughs.  

“It was good fun. I stayed with mates of mates in a three-bed house. There were 15 of us there, sleeping in the kitchen, outside in vans. But in the end I like being home ….” 

Wayne, back in the day

After that experience Wayne came back to Howick. When we chat about his early career, it was all so long ago that Wayne umms and ahhs about the dates. He thinks he started in 1984 because he finished his three-year apprenticeship in 1987 during the first Rugby World Cup. And he’s pretty sure he was promoted to foreman after four or five years on the floor: 

“Ahhhh I can’t really remember how things went!” 

“But I know that when I became General Manager we started with about 20 odd people I think.” 

One thing Wayne does remember clearly is meeting his wife Karen, 35 years ago. She’s been by his side through most of his Howick journey and now he’s got two adult kids who are both builders by trade (and have obviously inherited his talent for working with his hands). Wayne is also now a proud grandad - his oldest has two young children.  

The handiest person at Howick 

Wayne progressed quickly at Howick for a few simple reasons - one being that he’s incredibly handy and can fix almost anything: 

“Dad was a mechanic and had tools at home,” Wayne explains. “I learnt from him early on. He was always mechanical, building all sorts of stuff. Cars. Motorbikes.” 

We reckon he might be one of the handiest people at Howick, and it sounds like he’s always had that Kiwi number 8-wire mentality: 

“I remember one day driving home from tech and the exhaust fell right off my car and rolled off the road. I got home then thought - oooh I should go back and grab that. So I went back and got it, bought it home and welded it right back on.” 

“With another car the clutch went, or the master cylinder went, so I couldn’t push the clutch, but I had to drive to Maraetai. I pulled off the top of the gearbox and changed gear with a screwdriver while I drove home.” 

“How’d I know to do that? I don’t know.” 

Another reason Wayne has progressed is because he’s completely unflappable. Most people at Howick have never seen him outwardly stressed despite his huge workload - this calm capability has made him a highly respected and effective leader. 

Wayne’s door is always open 

Wayne has to wear so many hats and manage a huge team to run the ship at Howick. Despite that, he’s always got time for every single person in the business, whether they’re on the shop floor or management: 

“I’ve always had an open-door policy. Everyone’s always felt free to come and talk to me. Yeah, I’m interrupted a lot, but at least I know what’s going on,” Wayne said.  

Wayne may be unflappable, but transitioning to management and growing with the business has not always been easy: 

“It was easier back then when most of the team had similar roles, and it was easier to manage the team on the floor as that’s where I had the most experience. It’s a little different now when, other than the team on the floor, we have different teams in design, control systems, electrical, marketing, sales – there’s more to get my head around.” 

Wayne says that it has always helped that Bruce and Nick Coubray (Howick’s owners and directors) are quite relaxed, and trust that everyone will come into work and do their best. That is pretty much Wayne’s approach. 

Wayne with his mother, wife, two sons, daughter-in-law and grandchildren

Cheers to a Howick legend 

After 40 years Wayne is one of Howick’s longest serving and most valuable team members. When we ask (with fingers crossed) if he’s ever thought of leaving, he gives a typically honest answer: 

“I’ve thought of it. I still think of it. But I enjoy it most of the time. I like the people. I like the product. I like Bruce and Nick.” 

“Depends what happens with my family. I might end up driving a truck, or working with kids … Maybe spending more time in the garage, making stuff or doing stuff. I don’t like sitting around and doing nothing.” 

With all that said, Wayne says he doesn’t see a change coming any time soon. That’s lucky for us because he’s universally liked and respected, and he’s consistently one of our hardest working people. In fact, he’s helped shape Howick into what it is today. 

So from the entire Howick team - Cheers to Wayne, thanks for 40 years of incredible work, and congratulations on a great career so far!