| 23 T T Anne Boswell Safety-first approach earns award Most of its product range is built on its light but strong Mills-Tui Low Rider chassis. Rotorua Business Award: Mills-Tui REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Rotorua transport engineering company Mills-Tui has been named a finalist in the Timberlands Ltd Safety and Wellbeing category at the 2025 Rotorua Business Awards. The nomination recognises the company’s transformation into a safety-focused operation since Dean and Carey-Lee Purves purchased the business in 2018. Although Mills-Tui traces its roots back to the early 1960s – building everything from log trailers to tippers to fire and emergency vehicles – the couple’s ownership began with a wake-up call. “Our health and safety journey began on day two of owning the business, when Worksafe paid us a visit,” Dean says. “It turned out the business was under an Improvement Notice, which we were not aware of.” Rather than seeing this incident as a setback, the Purves saw it as a catalyst for change. They brought the business’ health and safety solutions back in-house and implemented a robust programme led by staff member Graeme Dewhurst and Engage Solutions’ Jackie Anderson. “Engage has been a foundational part of our business since 2018,” Dean says. “It has been a fantastic tool to record incidents, training, meetings, all documentation and policies.” A few years later, Mills-Tui employed business manager David Mohn, who added even more focus on health and safety as part of his role. “He has really lifted the bar,” Dean says. Today, the company employs 33 staff and operates from the same Rotorua site it has occupied for more than four decades. Mills-Tui is synonymous with New Zealand’s fire engine fleet, at one point manufacturing and supplying almost all of New Zealand’s fire engines with 140 staff. Mills-Tui also designed and manufactured the Stryker airport fire appliance, supplying these vehicles to Auckland and Christchurch International Airports, as well as exporting to Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands. Today, the Mills-Tui product range is now streamlined to focus on serving the timber and construction sectors, along with fire and emergency. It designs and manufactures steel and alloy tippers and log and truck trailers, as well as offering repairs, insurance work, retail parts and custom design services. Most of its product range is built on its light but strong Mills-Tui Low Rider chassis, giving its products a lower centre of gravity and better stability. Known for its innovation – particularly light tare-weight vehicles – MillsTui works with transport fleets ranging from owner-drivers to large corporates. Mills-Tui’s five core values are mentorship, innovation, legacy, loyalty and safety, a set of principles the Purves have considered for some time and have recently unveiled to staff members. When it comes to safety, it is not only inside the yard that counts. Dean says Mills-Tui’s design team works closely with external consultants to ensure every design and build is safe not only to work on, but for the customer as well. “We want to minimise the risk of harm for the operators of our vehicles, too,” Dean says. “We try to achieve that every single day.” For the Mills-Tui team, the award nomination validates seven years of steady work embedding health and safety best practice into every corner of the operation. “It is great to be recognised for the work we have done,” Dean says. Lore With a Bigfoot onboard you’ll monster any surface Make light work of any surface using the OptiTraction footprint with a Bigfoot Central Tyre In ation System The brain behind the Bigfoot system is the Bigfoot OptiTraction control module. The display can be ush or surface mounted and makes monitoring and adjusting tyre pressures simple. The display also provides visual and audible alarms. TM Features of the Bigfoot Central Inflation Tyre System • Designed and tested in some of the worlds harshest conditions • Adjustable ‘on the fly’, no stopping required • Easy to use in-cab control unit • Built in safety features prevent operating outside safe limits for select tyre pressure • Precision manufactured in New Zealand using only the finest materials and components • Full after sales service and parts network • Full manufacturers warranty T. 07 347 7066 / info@bigfoot.co.nz www.bigfoot.co.nz ‘CONGRATULATIONS TO MILLS TUI AS A FINALIST IN THE 2025 ROTORUA BUSINESS AWARDS’ PROFESSIONAL • TRUSTED • EXPERIENCED estimates@brokersnz.co.nz 0800 45 88 45 www.brokersunited.co.nz We’re proud to back Mills Tui, a leader in transport engineering. When they roll out their builds they get the full Brokers United treatment – from precision sandblasting to protective coatings & high-quality paint finishes that stand the test of time. We’re more than just paint as well: collision repair, fleet painting, rust repairs – we’ve got you covered across Taranaki, Bay of Plenty, SouthWaikato &Wellington.
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