After more than 12 years operating out of Central Hawke's Bay, Laver & Wood, the country's biggest producer of custom-made cricket bats, has pulled up stumps and moved north to Napier.
Managing director James Laver moved his operation from Otane to a workshop on Ruataniwha St in Waipawa, formerly the St John's ambulance depot, back in 2005.
Before its move to Napier at the start of the month, the company was making about 1200 custom-made bats a year from imported English willow, ranging in price from $300 to $2500.
Though the company is tight-lipped about its clientele, it's understood many top batsmen from prominent test-playing nations use Laver & Wood bats and rebadge them with the logos of their sponsors.
On August 30, the company moved to new premises at Meeanee Quay in Westshore, Napier.