Our Story

Ngahere Sawmilling Company Ltd was established in 1980 by Dave and Claire Coyle and has been proudly owned and operated by the Coyle family ever since.

Dave began his career with the New Zealand Forest Service in 1950, working in a number of state-owned sawmills throughout the country. Over the years, he built extensive industry knowledge, experience, and relationships. In 1980, when a small sawmill near Conical Hill Sawmill - where Dave was General Manager - came up for sale, he took the opportunity to purchase it.

He named the business Ngahere, after the town where his wife Claire grew up, as well as the Māori word meaning forest or wood.

Originally located on the banks of the Pomahaka River, the sawmill was prone to flooding. To future-proof the operation, Dave and Claire made the decision to relocate to higher ground. The new site was a paddock on Cardigan Bay Road - named after the famous harness racing horse that spent his early years there - where the business remains today.

Ngahere Sawmilling has continued to grow since relocating to Cardigan Bay Road. The business is now led by the second and third generations of the Coyle family. Stephen Coyle is Managing Director, with his wife Debra overseeing the office. Their son Scott joined the company in 2017, followed by James in 2023, further strengthening the next generation’s role. Other relatives also work across a range of positions within the business.

Dave and Claire have since passed away, but their presence, values and legacy remain strongly felt throughout the sawmill and continue to shape the way the business operates.

Ngahere Sawmilling employs a team of around 30 staff, many of whom have been with the company for over 20 years. This depth of experience is reflected in the reliability, quality and consistency customers have come to expect.

Customers value Ngahere’s friendly, personalised service and consistently reliable products. This combination of specialised focus, long-standing customer relationships, and flexibility has supported both the business and its customers for more than four decades.