Community thanks Kaitaia Pak'nSave former owner for contribution

Awanui RFC chairman Wihi Stevenson, former Kaitaia Pak'nSave owner Stacey Rolton, and Awanui RFC president Jordan Jujnovich say thank you to Rolton for his contribution to the Far North. Photo / Supplied

You might not be familiar with the name Stacey Rolton, but that's exactly how the former Kaitaia Pak'nSave owner says he likes it.

As the boss of the Far North's only major supermarket, Rolton has been quietly supporting the community through food and monetary donations since taking over the store in October 2018.

Rolton and his team have helped everyone from local schools to local iwi and sporting clubs, and have lived by the catchphrase, "support less but often".

He explained this motto had meant while he couldn't always give away large chunks of money or stock, his team would do what they could, whenever they could and as regularly as possible.

The father of four said his passion for giving back came from his own tough start in life that had taught him the importance of supporting the community you live in.

"I come from a low socio-economic family where we had nothing, so it's important to me to be able to support Kaitaia, which reminds me of where I grew up," Rolton said.

"I was asked to leave school at 16, so I started pushing trolleys at Whangarei Pak'nSave and realised how much I loved the supermarket environment because no day is the same and you meet so many different people.

"My overarching value has always been to make a difference in people's lives, so that's behind every decision I make, be it around employment, buying stock or supporting our customers.

"It's been a heck of a journey, with a lot of sacrifices, but it's been rewarding all the way."

Prior to owning Kaitaia Pak'nSave, Rolton started his career training for eight years at Kerikeri New World, before going on to own Ngaruawahia New World and later Whitianga New World.

He said after getting through the worst of the Covid-19 lockdowns, his family had decided they would move to Hamilton where his daughter will attend high school, and therefore handed over the keys to the new owner of Kaitaia Pak'nSave yesterday.

Rolton said it had been a pleasure to provide a service to the community, both through the supermarket and his community work, but now it was time to give back to his family.

"It's been a tricky time navigating Covid-19 and the restrictions that came with that, but I'd like to thank the community for supporting our store and staff," Rolton said.

"My team have dug really deep over the last two years and I'm proud we've always had the common goal of making a difference for the people of the Far North.

"That means I can walk away with my head held high knowing we did our utmost to uphold those values."

The legacy of support for those who benefited from Rolton's generosity is what Awanui Rugby Football Club president and close friend, Jordan Jujnovich said would live on in the hearts and minds of the community long after he departed.

Jujnovich explained Rolton's contribution to the club had meant the smooth running of the organisation not just for now, but for many years to come.

"Kaitaia Pak'nSave has been a major sponsor of Awanui RFC since Stacey started and we are so grateful for everything he and his team have done for us," Jujnovich said.

"He's invested in things that will serve us long term and it's not just us, but so many other local organisations who have benefited from Pak'nSave's help.

"I definitely think our community is a poorer place losing a business owner like Stacey who is so passionate about the Far North.

"His wife Sally has also been instrumental in supporting the community and we wish them and their family all the very best."

The Far North Community Foodbank Trust is another organisation that has worked closely with Rolton and his team.

The Foodbank, which has been serving the Far North community for more than 21 years, has faced a particularly challenging couple of years thanks to Covid-19 as well as the rising cost of living.

Christie Meyer runs the Kaitaia-based service and said last year alone (July 2020 to June 2021) the foodbank had provided 1103 emergency food parcels to 3005 people - 1441 of whom were adults and 1564 children.

She said the service had remained open during Covid-19 lockdowns and Rolton had gone above and beyond to provide them with a range of products during that time.

"Although we have had some good times, we have also survived some very tough times and have been providing food assistance for those Covid-19 positive in isolation in addition to our normal emergency food parcels," Meyer said.

"There are times we have been battling to keep anything on the shelves as it goes out as quickly as we get it in.

"Pak'n Save Kaitaia has been supporting us with donated stock for many years now and as a charity, we rely heavily on the donated stock of food items, household and personal care items, as we don't have enough funds to purchase every item needed.

"We sincerely honour and thank Stacey Rolton for his generous support and are grateful for him believing in what we do and the purpose of our services to those vulnerable Far North individuals and families who might find themselves in a time of need."