It’s the end of an era for local Bay of Plenty housing company Highmark Homes as its founder Bob Hunt officially retires after 60 years.
Highmark Homes celebrated Hunt’s legacy at a retirement dinner last week as he passed the reins over to son Ryan Hunt, who has been working alongside his father for the past 20 years.
Hunt’s retirement falls at a tough time for the construction sector, which has felt the impacts of the last few years due to supply chain disruptions and increased material costs.
“The country is facing a tough economic time, with nearly all economists pointing to high interest rates and an over-inflated market,” Hunt said. “But we’ve got through it before, and tough times can always be overcome as Kiwis are hard workers and we have a beautiful country, with a wonderful lifestyle, and that’s not going to change.”
Hunt started his building apprenticeship in 1963 at 15 years old, which was encouraged by his father who was a structural engineer, boat builder and farmer. Hunt worked hard to complete his 10,000-hour building apprenticeship within four years, working overtime to shave a year off his five-year apprenticeship. A few years later he founded “Hunts Homes” which specialised in delivering affordable, transportable homes throughout the North Island.