Oamaru Honda has been named Honda motorcycle dealer of the year, acknowledging the work of the Selfe family and their wider team in what could truly be described as a family business.
It was established by Rick and Janis Selfe in the 1970s and, over time, their three sons Blair, Brad and Leighton all joined the business.
Leighton, who looks after sales and marketing and finance, said there was no real boss as the three brothers all did their own thing.
Blair was responsible for the workshop and parts while Brad was in the Stihl shop.
“It’s all even … and we just respect each other. It does make Christmases really boring though … I’ve seen them all year,” Leighton quipped.
While officially retired, Rick still loved crunching numbers and had been a “massive sounding board” for his sons. Janis had also been heavily involved and still did some cleaning at the Thames Highway premises.
Leighton said he was grateful for the values instilled in them by their parents, and his own business philosophy was “about getting better every single day and always trying to improve”.
While proud of the acknowledgement from Honda — the Selfes have been involved with the brand since the beginning — his work was never about doing it for trophies. It was all about the customer.
He never thought he would join the business; 20 years ago, he and his wife were living in Australia, where he was working as a roofer, when his parents called to say they needed a salesperson.
Blair joined straight from school but then had a stint working overseas as mechanic for world motocross championship rider Josh Coppins. Now his son Korban was an apprentice mechanic at Oamaru Honda.
Honda was also like a family and the brand had been “awesome” to deal with. He regularly talked to other dealers in the South Island and they respected each other.
The team at Oamaru Honda numbered 11 in total, including the Selfes, and it was a great team. “Every day I am super grateful for each one of them because they do amazing work.
“Most are young but all are nothing like young people are made out to be these days. I back all these boys to be their best, both in and out of work,” Leighton said.
The rural sector was a major part of their business and it had been an “amazing year” farming-wise. But during his 20 years, he had seen many ups and downs, including some very challenging times.
“I say, be light on your feet and ready to change tack and always be there to support customers whether good years or bad years,” he said.
