While family ownership is pretty much the norm for rural transport companies, mid-Canterbury’s Ellesmere Transport breaks the mould somewhat. Murray Righton, who along with sons Mark and Paul is one of the company’s three director/shareholders, began there 60 years ago simply as an employee, before progressing to management positions, then minority shareholder and ultimately to outright ownership.

Ellesmere has a strongly rural profile, with just over half of its around 40 trucks dedicated to livestock work. They’re backed up by a dozen spreaders, half a dozen bulk units and four flat decks. Truck brands are primarily European, split between Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Scania.

The company has depots in Dunsandel and Leeston, and also owns Cheviot Transport and Banks Peninsula Transport, both of which operate under their traditional branding. Banks Peninsula runs seven trucks and Cheviot nine.

The Leeston depot is home to a workshop staffed by four mechanics and an engineer.

The company was originally set up in 1937 as an amalgamation of three or four smaller carrying firms in the region, in an effort to gain greater efficiency through increased numbers and had depots in Southbridge and Leeston.