OUR PEOPLE
No one understands nature like we do.
Meet our team of experts - we’re here to help you.
Vern Wearmouth - Director/General Manager
Vern Wearmouth - Director/General Manager
From an early age Vern had an interest in plants, encouraged by his family’s enthusiasm for growing and selling vegetable crops at Auckland markets.
Vern has been an integral part of the Kauri Park team since it started in 1994 – literally learning the business from the ground up. During his early years at Kauri Park, he did everything from potting plants, weeding, managing irrigation, and delivery – everything but sales! Later in 2002 Vern found his calling as the leader of the sales team, and now leads the entire business as Managing Director.
With customer service the driving force behind Kauri Park, Vern spends a considerable amount of his time travelling the length and breadth of New Zealand meeting new customers and checking in on current projects. When in the office, Vern takes the time to ensure the needs of the wider team are being met, prioritising a healthy, happy, and efficient work environment.
Vern, a passionate environmentalist, is particularly proud of Kauri Park’s role in transforming Rotoroa Island in the Hauraki Gulf, once populated by overgrown weeds and pine trees, now revegetated with native trees to create thriving ecosystems flourishing with life.
Phil Wearmouth - Director/Marketing Manager
Phil Wearmouth - Director/Sales Manager
Growing up in a green fingered family meant it was no surprise that Phil, a founder and director at Kauri Park, would go on to work in horticulture.
Being involved from the very beginning means that Phil has literally worked across every division within the business, making him an invaluable problem solver. Phil sees sales as the engine room of the business – where projects start to take life and blossom, making it the perfect role for a ‘people person’ with a passion for plants. He is particularly proud of his involvement in Rotorua Island, an iconic project with 600,000 natives planted that is now a self-sufficient ecosystem and environmental legacy.
With such a busy work life, Phil’s downtime is precious, and he likes to start his day with a run before most of us are even awake, so he maximises time with his family.
Terry Wearmouth - Director/Marketing Manager
Terry Wearmouth - Director/Marketing Manager
Terry grew up in Maungaturoto and with his earliest memories of market gardening and growing flowers with his family, it was only natural that he chose a career in horticulture.
Terry is a director at Kauri Park and currently heads up marketing, but as the business founder he has experienced most roles within the business since it started in 1993. This holistic experience gives him valuable insight into all areas of the business, enabling him to solve any challenges that the business or staff may face.
While a significant portion of his time is spent in the office managing team members and delivering the marketing strategy, his hands-on approach also allows him to experience the ‘end product’ of planting projects. There is nothing more rewarding to him than seeing a Kauri Park project grow and flourish into their own ecosystems. While most of Kauri Park’s projects are NZ based, his expertise is transferable to other environments and one of his most rewarding projects was the Floating Wetlands project in Singapore. The project tested Kauri Park’s logistical capabilities as this man-made floating wetland had to be shipped from NZ and installed in-situ. Learning about, and sourcing unfamiliar plants in a developing nation (Malaysia) also posed challenges, and Terry is proud that the largest man-made wetland in Singapore is now a thriving ecosystem.
Terry is passionate about supporting the people at Kauri Park, and like his planting projects, he believes in giving them the best chance to thrive. Enabling people to get ahead in life and creating a positive work culture and safe environment is at the heart of the Kauri Park family, and something Terry takes great pride in evolving as one of the leaders within the business.
Laurie Currie - Council & Corporate Sales Manager
Laurie Currie - Council & Corporate Sales Manager
Laurie is the Palmerston North Branch Manager, and an integral member of the Kauri Park sales team with over 13 years with the company.
It’s the perfect role for someone who loves going above and beyond for customers by ensuring that the ecological solutions recommended meet and surpass all goals, not only for that customer but also for the environment.
While he has over 30 years of horticulture experience, Laurie remains acutely aware of the ever-changing, ecology focussed nature of the business and each project he is involved with provides valuable learnings. Whether he’s forging new alliances, facing civil construction challenges, or researching plant species for unusual ecosystems, no two days are the same for Laurie, but each day is equally rewarding.
Sam Currie - Key Accounts Manager
Sam Currie - Key Accounts Manager
Sam started working in the nursery at Kauri Park in 2011, with a background in commercial horticulture and a passion for the environment.
As a self-confessed people person who loves helping others, he made the natural move from the nursery to his current role of Sales Consultant where he embraces his love of nature while building close relationships with customers.
Sam is proud to be part of a team who are contributing to a better tomorrow for the New Zealand landscape and remains focussed on using his knowledge and experience to create cost effective and successful solution for customers. Nothing beats the satisfaction of a flourishing ecosystem and a happy customer.
Amos Currie - Sales Manager
Amos Currie - Sales Manager
Like many Kauri Park team members, Amos has held several different positions within the business before finding his calling in the sales team.
In the 10 years he has worked for Kauri Park he has spent a considerable amount of time running dispatch, as well as general business operations giving him valuable holistic experience.
While some days are office based, Amos likes nothing more than getting out on the road visiting customers. He gets immense satisfaction from seeing how Kauri Park’s plants transform their landscapes - whether individual gardens or larger commercial projects. Particularly notable for him is his involvement in the new Manawatu Gorge Road, a well-planned and smooth-running project. Not always easy when dealing with Mother Nature!
Braden Cashmore - Rural Restoration Sales
Braden Cashmore - Rural Restoration Sales
Like many of the Kauri Park team, Braden has grown with the business, starting 17 years ago in production, and working in various roles within the nursery, eco-sourcing and despatch teams.
In his current role as a Sales Consultant, Braden loves working with clients who share his passion to restore NZ and make our country a better place.
Bradens’ wealth of plant knowledge and friendly nature makes it easy for prospective customers to scope a project and realise their vision. His drive and commitment to achieve successful outcomes for people and the planet makes Braden an invaluable member of the team.
Oscar Wearmouth - Operations Manager
Oscar Wearmouth - Operations Manager
Oscar worked at Kauri Park during school holidays before joining full time in 2019 and taking on his current role as Operations and Logistics Manager in 2021.
The nursery has so many operational challenges to manage to ensure consistent plant quality production throughout the changing seasons, and Oscar thrives on this fast-paced energy.
He starts his day early, checking in with the individual project teams before getting his head down to concentrate on production and supply tasks, organising logistics and distribution for the following day and updating project plans.
While organisation is his thing, Oscar is also passionate about creating an environment that encourages new team members to learn and grow, and takes great pride in seeing people step up and take on more responsibility as their confidence builds.
Lachie Campbell - Customer Service Support
Lachie Campbell - Logistics Manager
Lachie is the Logistics Manager and is based in the Palmerston North nursery. While he is one of Kauri Park’s newest team members, in his first year he has already assisted in the delivery and planting of over one million plants for the TAAT Manawatu Tararua Highway.
The volume of plants grown and dispatched, and the fragile nature of the cargo is a logistical challenge and Lachie runs a tight ship to ensure deliveries are fulfilled successfully. Although his day is mostly spent organising the team, processing orders, and communicating with customers, he is always willing to get his hands dirty and help in nursery when needed.
He gets great satisfaction being part of the passionate team at Kauri Park, and knowing that his role is having a positive impact on our environment.
Ochre Wearmouth - Customer Service & Sales Support
Ochre Wearmouth - Customer Service & Sales Support
Ochre has worked at Kauri Park for two years and you would never know it was her first job. Her professionalism and attentiveness to every detail makes Ochre an invaluable part of the customer service and sales team.
Ochre is our admin superstar, making sure the team are always organised, and customer queries are responded to quickly and kindly. She knows that great communication and rigorous processes ensure the smooth running of a busy nursery, and she thrives on the fast pace in the office.
As one of our newest ‘ecovitalists’, Ochre takes great pride in Kauri Park’s role in regenerating and revegetating the environment. She loves supporting the team in completing quality planting projects for customers, with one of her favourite projects being the Northern Corridor, a project Ochre was part of from her very first day on the job, and can now admire the flourishing ecosystem that exists.
Alexis Hodges - Customer Service Support
Alexis Hodges - Customer Service Support
Alexis has been with Kauri Park since she left school four years ago, and her impeccable organisational skills and attention to detail have been put to good use.
Her role in customer service and as PA to the sales team mean that customers and staff are always in safe hands.
While she is office based, Alexis still gets great satisfaction from her part in improving the New Zealand landscape – dispatching plants and receiving regular updates and photos from the team to see how projects are progressing. A project close to her heart is Mangawhai Central, as she drives through the area regularly and loves seeing how Kauri Parks plants & trees have transformed the space over time.
Grant Hodges - Nursery Manager
Grant Hodges - Nursery Manager
Growing up in rural Paparoa, Grant’s passion for the outdoors and plants started at a young age, so it was a natural progression for him into a career in horticulture.
Before joining Kauri Park, he worked in floristry for 17 years growing flowers for export, and this passion for growing plants led Grant to Kauri Park where he has worked since 2015. While his official role is Nursery Manager, Grant is the ultimate all-rounder and expert horticulturist, and there’s not much he can’t turn his hand to. He is a passionate seed collector and sower, and even mucks in with a spot of cleaning when the need arises.
The wide variety of projects he is involved with, seasonal changes of nature, and New Zealand’s unpredictable weather mean no two days are the same. Grant is responsible for nurturing over 20 million plants grown by the nursery each year, and the seamless production processes are testament to his ability to work efficiently under pressure.
Grant finds greatest pleasure and a sense of achievement from working with rare native plants that are Kauri Park’s specialty, as well as the research and perseverance required to successfully germinate difficult tree species. It’s therefore surprising that his favourite plant is the humble tomato plant – but as an avid gardener in his spare time, Grants home garden & veggie patch will certainly be something to be envious of.
Elliot Pike - Project Manager
Elliot Pike - Project Manager
Elliot joined Kauri Park 7 years ago, bringing a wealth knowledge with horticultural qualifications and 12 years’ experience running a residential and civil landscaping company in Auckland.
Elliot’s experience fuelled his belief that people, and nature can coexist in harmony when properly planned and managed.
As a Project Manager, Elliot oversees projects from conception and planning, through set up and delivery and finally to post-delivery maintenance. On any day he can find himself dealing with clients, designers, architects, council members, planners and ecologists, as well as co-ordinating the Kauri Park team with projects spanning the length and breadth of the North Island.
A project that is particularly close to his heart is the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway and Kauri Park’s contribution to a legacy with significant economic and social benefits.
Andrew Stewart - Fleet Manager/Health & Safety Manager
Andrew Stewart - Fleet Manager/Health & Safety Manager
The team at Kauri Park might live and breathe plants, but underpinning this is a need for rigorous logistics and health and safety support. It’s no mean feat getting the vast number of plants grown in the nursery each year delivered to where they need to be in one piece while ensuring the safety of team members and contractors.
This is where Andrew comes in. He grew up in Northland at the foot of the Pukekaroro Mountain and had an extensive background in truck driving and logistics before joining Kauri Park in 2020.
Andrew wears many hats in his role - he manages health and safety, is responsible for fleet maintenance and is a relief truck driver. This means that no two days are the same. He could be in the office processing health and safety documentation one day, organising COFs, WOFs and services for Kauri Park’s fleet of trucks the next, or driving the length and breadth of New Zealand.
Andrew has also taken on the responsibility of developing a recycling programme that will see all waste plastic recycled into new trays with obvious environmental benefits.
In his spare time Anrew spends time with his family and keeps busy gardening and landscaping and particularly loves nurturing neglected plants back to health.