Manawatu Businessmen Neil Hunt and Gary King have set up a venture to tap the emerging rainwater harvesting market. Mr King from Ashhurst, owns a plastic moulding business – Mouldings Unlimited. Mr Hunt from Palmerston North, is a salesman with an eye for environmentally friendly products. Their new business is called Domestic Water Solutions. It involves producing, selling and installing sleek water tanks.
The two men saw an opportunity at a time when water conservation is becoming more and more important and where the “proud gardener” is increasingly wanting to do the right thing by not wasting water.
As councils are becoming more savvy about the use of resources Mr King says urban growth creates demands on infrastructure to keep up. In some cases it is more feasible for towns and cities to require rainwater tanks than to stretch resources or force infrastructure upgrades. Rainwater harvesting could also reduce the need for water restrictions, Mr King says.
Mr Hunt’s background is in appliance retailing. He worked for B & M Electrical in Palmerston North for 13 years as retail and sales manager. He bounced back from knee surgery by buying the moistureMASTER agency when it became available. moistureMASTER is a condensation control and home ventilation system. Mr Hunt’s Business, Oxford Epsom, also sells Sunriver solar hot water systems made by Palmerston North’s Steelfort.
Mr Hunt met Mr King at a Vision Manawatu/Chamber of Commerce function in Palmerston North.
“It was a meeting of like minds,” Mr Hunt says.
Until recently Mr King was a supplier to the rotational moulding industry. He bought into Mouldings Unlimited in September 2008 “with a view to developing eco-sustainable products though rotational moulding”. Manufacturing “has it challenges”. However, the economic downturn has allowed his business to “take a breath, take stock of where it’s at and do some planning”.
Rainwater tanks will widen the product range and Mr Hunt and Mr King are creating the market for rainwater harvesting systems.
