News - 31/07/09
It’s all in the family at Jenkin
Jenkin is a family company in more ways than one. Since we were founded in 1922, we’ve had a number of families where son followed father into the business. The Kalaha family have taken that tradition to a new level with Laini Kalaha, son Laini Jnr, and daughter Lee-Ann clocking up a combined 73 years service at Jenkin. Laini joined us in 1969 (40 years ago), Laini Jnr in 1992, and Lee-Ann joined after she finished her B.Sc degree in 1993.
The Kalaha family involvement with Jenkin began not long after Laini Snr arrived in New Zealand from Niue. “Jim Jenkin interviewed me, and got me to use a small bandsaw,” Laini says. “He said ‘I’ll see how good you are.” Laini impressed Jim sufficiently to be offered an apprenticeship in the joinery factory on the spot.
Laini Jnr and Lee-Ann grew up visiting their dad’s workplace. “I can still remember coming to work with Dad when we were kids, and Laini Jnr and I playing on the pool table, waiting for Dad to finish his stocktaking,” Lee-Ann says. For Laini Jnr, he remembers thinking “how interesting it all was with all the machines.” Laini Jnr started at the factory as a labourer, and two years after starting, he was offered a timber machinist apprenticeship. He now manages the Moulding department and is leading his team in pioneering Lean manufacturing for Jenkin. Lee-Ann works in Sales and Marketing, where she sees the investment the company makes in supporting customers and helping them get the best result from their Jenkin product.
For Laini Kalaha it’s satisfying to see his children build their future in a company that has been part of his family for 40 years. For Jenkin, we’re proud to have retained the Kalaha family’s support and engagement since 1969. We hope there will be another generation of the family here in 2049 to celebrate another four decades of Kalaha at Jenkin.