“This industry is all about getting stuff done,” says Steve Tomlinson, Owner and General Manager of Koru Customs & International Freight Limited.  “We’re a Māori family business and we like to bring a bit of flavour to our industry and what we do.  We understand that a lot of what we’re moving is emotive or is being transported under deadlines with real-world consequences, so we try to treat every shipment like it’s our own.”

Since 2007, Steve (Rangitāne ki Manawatū) and his wife and business partner, Maria (Ngāti Porou), have provided comprehensive customs clearance and freight forwarding services from their base in Ōtautahi Christchurch. “As customs brokers, we facilitate the movement of goods in and out of the country with border control agencies like MPI [Ministry for Primary Industries], Customs, Food Safety, MFAT [Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade], and Internal Affairs.”

“Prior to starting the business, we were both working for a multinational customs company,” Maria says.  “Steve kept giving more and more to that business and our whānau was lagging.  We were burning ourselves out, living for work.  We needed to reset.  So, two dummies quit their jobs with no plan and that’s how this started.”  Maria designed the logo and chose the name, and Koru Customs & International Freight Limited was born.  “We all know what the koru is symbolic of, and it definitely was a brand-new start for us,” she says.

Word-of-mouth referrals and above-and-beyond service have seen Koru grow into an international success and an exemplar of how Māori-led businesses can thrive through shared values and strong connections. 

“Māori are really good at hospitality and we’re able to build relationships easily,” Steve says.  “People respond to that, and they tell their friends.”

Their whānau-led approach has also enabled them to welcome daughter, Alyssa, into the business.  “My dad’s been in the industry since he was 18,” she says, “so I grew up around it and came into it quite naturally.”  After earning a Bachelor of Commerce at Canterbury University, Alyssa took the leap and completed the Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders qualification.  “I didn’t need my degree to come into the industry, but as the first in the family to complete university, it’s something I’m quite proud of.”  

“The pathway to what we do is varied,” Steve adds.  “I started at a small family business where I learned the industry from the ground up.  You don’t have to have any formal training because you can get taught on the job, but there are a number of qualifications available: Intro to Customs or Intro to Freight Forwarding are a good place to start.”  “I became interested in the industry because of the stories Steve would tell me,” Maria says.  “I started in sea freight and exports and decided to get qualified as a customs broker because I wanted to be able to complete the full job.  That’s how I ended up going to study and got my ticket.”

At Koru Customs & International Freight Limited, Te Ao Māori is ever-present, with Te Reo Māori spoken and Alyssa’s pēpē running around the office.  Steve and Maria hope that their successful approach will inspire other Māori to consider a career in freight forwarding and customs and shed light on the varied opportunities available.  “It’s a demanding but rewarding industry,” Steve says.  “While we’re all fiercely competitive, we have lifelong contacts and friends.  It’s more than just a workforce; we’re whānau as well and there aren’t enough of us.”  “You don’t hear about our industry in Māori circles,” Maria agrees.  “We just get lumped in with logistics.  But we can influence people by inviting them in to meet us.  It’s about the way we carry ourselves and how we represent who we are.”