INDUSTRY PEOPLE
A Tale of Two
Businesses
Shaw Tracks
All of the people featured in the
Industry Profiles have skill-sets
that extend outside of their main
core business activities. Some have
interesting hobbies, some have
interesting adventures.
We’ve featured people who build and fly planes on the
side, build and race cars on the side, and some who have
traveled to exotic locales. There are invention sheds full
of unrealised—and realised—potential.
Gary Shaw, director of Shaw Tracks in Dunedin, is no
exception.
On the surface of it, Shaw Tracks imports and distributes
rubber tracks. It all sounds very straight-forward,
standard, business stuff...until Gary takes you on a tour
of his lifestyle block situated high up on Saddle Hill,
overlooking the Taieri Plains in Dunedin.
Once you’re past the aviary, navigated your way around
the three very friendly little dogs, and checked out the
chickens, there’s a collection of “man caves”; in reality,
they are extremely modern and made-for-purpose sheds,
that house Gary (and his wife Di’s) passion projects and
core business stock.
Shaw Tracks operates from a slice of paradise on Saddle Hill,
Dunedin, but soon the business is moving to Mosgiel, seen here
in the distance from Gary’s place.
based in Dunedin. But they’re here because Gary
grew up here.
Of course, Shaw Tracks is quite simply about rubber
Gary started the business just over two years ago, after
tracks. One shed is kitted out as a distribution
selling Kitchens For Less which he started 20
warehouse with around 30-40 tonnes of
“One of his best mates,
years ago. Starting from scratch it developed
stock on-site. Rubber tracks are brought
Paul Clarke said one day,
into a medium-sized enterprise with a staff of
in from China and shipped as far north as
“What are you going to do
15 fabricating around 400 kitchens a year. One
Kaitaia and far south as Bluff. Auckland
now, Gazza?”
of his best mates, Paul Clarke (they race pre-
is a particularly busy region for Shaw
’65 cars together, but more on that later) said one day,
Tracks as products enquiries and sales go, and the
“What are you going to do now, Gazza?”
business itself is not reliant on being geographically
This is a monthly series on businesses in our industry. We profile one business per month to find out how our hard-working
business owners, employees and contractors manage to run these specialist businesses and what makes them tick in the
New Zealand trade business environment. These are the stories of our CAM people.
w w w. c a m m a g a z i n e . c o . n z
CAM November 2018
73