Manukau-based aluminium can maker Recorp opened in late 2024. It was founded by ex-Air NZ boss Rob Fyfe and backed by several wealthy Kiwis. An ex-Air NZ colleague Bruce Parton is its chief executive.
How would you describe 2024 for your business?
This 2024 year has been massive for our business and our team. We have built a factory from the ground up in eight months, which is record time. Our team and suppliers have been incredible bringing Recorp to life. We are all connected by a very ambitious plan to create a sustainable future for New Zealand by using recycled aluminium cans.
New Zealand has had a chronic supply shortage for aluminium cans and was having to source this from offshore. Recorp is owned by Kiwis and seeing the first cans come out of our facility on route to a supermarket shelf was a proud moment for us. This summer, we hope to see many Kiwis enjoying a refreshing Kiwi beverage out of a Kiwi made can, as we continue to move away from single use plastic bottles and into healthier and more sustainable aluminium.
What will be your biggest business challenges in 2025?
We have two key drivers for Recorp. One is to be innovative in delivering what the market and our customers need. This industry has really been starved of anything groundbreaking in a long time, so our customers are very keen to work with us to create something new for our country.
Secondly, we want to eliminate single use plastic bottles in NZ by 2030, and there is an expectation on us to deliver this. We embrace that obligation, as we are here to make a difference for NZ. The big challenge here is how we influence consumers to consistently chose a can over a single use bottle. There is now plenty of capacity in the market, we are working with Kiwi brands on some innovative new designs, and we urge Kiwis to help us by actively choosing aluminium when they face the decision at the shelf. It is better for their health, our environment and Kiwi-owned business, it’s a win-win for everyone.
Kiwis will have a choice now and I hope they make the right one as that will ultimately drive the market. We will all earn the New Zealand we get in the future.
What opportunities do you see in 2025?
We see a number of the overseas trends coming into New Zealand who is primed for growth in 2025. We are a long way behind many of our global counterparts, so I see 2025 really exploding with opportunity for not only our industry but business-at-large.
Because our factory is brand new, it is incredibly flexible and can do much smaller runs of product, this enables the market to be innovative and try different products without so much risk. Some of our sectors such as micro-brewing are incredibly innovative and are now sizeable exporters, we want to help them in any way we can.
New Zealand wine is world-famous and a huge export opportunity, consumption in the USA is doubling each year alone. Providing wine in a can, and growing that as a product is a massive opportunity for our customers and one we will support them on. We are also working on creating aluminium beer bottles – they are lighter than glass and don’t smash, so this will gradually replace the current format.
For customers closer to home, they are going to start seeing cans on shelves that are brand new for our market. While common across the USA and Europe, having a litre of water in a can is big step forward for New Zealand. This coupled with resealable cans will be something different for Kiwis on shelf.
What will it take to kickstart New Zealand’s economy?
I think 2025 will be a step up from the last year or so. With mortgage rates dropping, life becomes more affordable, and that is projected to lift the property market creating momentum in NZ. The other indicators show a slow but steady growth in the first half and then acceleration in the second.
As business leaders, we can’t just rely on an endless cycle of low interest rates and cheap labour sources to improve things. We need to lead businesses that have productivity at its core. That in my opinion is the key long-term driver of success for business. An example of this is what we have done at Recorp. We have invested in technology which gives us a highly productive operation and implement lean working practices to keep driving our efficiency.
How will a Trump presidency affect the geopolitical dynamics?
It’s not something I really have a view on, not being an American and so not voting. My hope is that USA can grow and prosper as that always helps the world and for New Zealand, it is a key market for our exporters
What are the concrete actions your company has taken to reduce climate change?
Our technology is the most efficient in the world and is a step change in our market which is important to us. Our cans are the lightest they can be, creating less emissions. We source our aluminium from China as milled aluminium isn’t currently available from New Zealand, but we have chosen to use a supplier who uses hydro power and are supporting the change in China away from coal.
We work with recycled metal and are constantly improving this. While we pay more for this, it’s an investment we feel is the right one for New Zealand and helps the push to make aluminium the best choice for drinks in market.
In 2025 we are exploring solar panels for our factory to reduce electricity usage at peak times, investments to minimise our wastewater even further and will implement our internal emissions reduction targets to work towards
How are you increasing diversity in your business?
Because we are a start-up, we have been able to have diversity front of mind as we built our team.
Culturally, we are incredibly diverse. As the technology is the newest in the world, we have had to bring in specialists from overseas to help train our New Zealand teams in how to work with the machinery in our facility. Our team of specialists have amazing technical skills, and we are so lucky to have them with us. As we bring on more shifts, we supplement those individuals with workers from NZ who we will invest in their development and look to further expand our cultural identity.
Like many start-ups, we have very few people in support areas and so we tend to look at our business as including our contractors and outsourced areas. This lands us just under 50/50 in our head office for gender. It is a key initiative for us that we develop and bring woman leaders through the business. Traditionally, manufacturing fields have been dominated by men but have some incredibly talented young woman in the business both in the factory and the support teams who will one day lead it so that is exciting for our future.
What is your New Year’s resolution?
I have failed so many times at New Year’s resolutions that I don’t try any more. Holidays are always a good time to think about things I might do in the new year which is maybe a watered-down version of a resolution. I think of normal things – be more present with friends and family, spend quality time with people, remember to enjoy the ride of life, how lucky I am to be born in this part of the world and have such great friends and family, and of course, don’t be a dick.
Where and how are you holidaying this Summer?
My partner lives in Whangārei Heads and so I am keen to spend some time up there with her friends, as it’s a stunning part of New Zealand, especially across summer. I am spending some time in Auckland with my family at Christmas. My children are now grown-up so I use the holidays to spend as much time with them as possible. My daughter is flying back to NZ from Sydney for Christmas and so she is high priority for me to hang out with in Auckland. I have a short break up in Hong Kong with my partner and some friends across the New Year and so I can’t wait for the fireworks – Asia is my favourite place to explore.
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