Nicholson Autos is a family owned business dealing with Kia, Suzuki, Mazda, Nissan, GWM/Haval & used vehicles. With fully equipped workshops and parts departments.
When the business originally opened in Morrinsville it was owned by the Paine family, with strong emphasis on providing quality GM vehicles at affordable prices. Today the business is still family owned, though now by the Nicholson family.
In 2016 Nicholsons took on a brand new franchise in Whakatane, welcoming Mazda NZ to the family. Then January 2018, Nicholson Autos grew into another region with again a new franchise. This time opening a brand new Nissan dealership in Rotorua.
In 2021, we welcomed our latest franchise GWM/Haval.
While the capability of vehicles has undergone immense change since the business first opened. One thing that remains and will continue into the future, is the complete commitment to our customers.
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Phil Head
Chief Financial Officer
Phil moved to Morrinsville from Auckland in 2016 with his wife Michelle and has 2 grown daughters Monique and Desiree. He has worked in multiple industries but always finds himself being more drawn to the Automotive Industry because it is fast paced and ever changing. Phil enjoys fishing and playing 8-ball at the local RSA.
Geoff Masters
Chief of After Sales & Performance
Geoff has been in the Automotive Industry for nearly 40 years, starting as an apprentice Technician. He is a fully qualified Technician and has worked in both New Zealand and Australia. Geoff started his journey at Nicholson's as a Service Advisor and has worked his way up to Chief of After Sales & Performance. In his spare time, Geoff loves to go fishing on his boat and hit a round of golf.
Emma Alison
Customer Experience Manager
Emma has been at Nicholson’s since 2018. Emma started her career as a Primary school teacher. Prior to that, she also ran her own business and was also a business consultant. Mother to 3 fabulous teenagers who keep her on her toes. In her spare time Emma likes to do Pilates, Barre class, and karate.
Alan Kerby
Community & Promotions
Alan has worked at Nicholson Autos for almost 10 years. Alan moved to Morrinsville with his finance Nicole and step son Zack in 2019. Since moving to Morrinsville they have adopted a retired greyhound named Nana and welcomed their baby girl Kennedy into the world. Alan enjoys gaming and anything "nerdy".
Dylan Nicholson
Assistant Accountant
Dylan is the oldest son of Ross Nicholson. He is currently studying for his Bachelors in Accounting. Dylan is involved in many horse racing syndicates and even had a winner in the 2021 Karaka Million Group 1 race. You can also find Dylan playing basketball in-between studying and work.
Kiel Keat
Branch Manager
Kiel has been with Nicholson Autos since he was a young teenager. Starting as an apprentice and qualifying as a technician, Kiel worked his way up to Service Advisor, Sales Consultant, Sales Manager and now General Manager of our Morrinsville branch. Kiel was raised in Morrinsville, where he now lives with his wife Leah and two boys Declan and Clay.
Coral Ansley
Executive Assistant
Coral spent over 15 years in tertiary education before joining Nicholson Autos. She is a Microsoft Office Specialist Master. Coral lives in Morrinsville with her husband Mark; they both love the hot rod scene and jet boating. They are currently building their very own jet boat.
Ann Ganley
CRM Administrator
Ann has lived in Morrinsville for over 40 years with Keith and her 2 boys. Ann owns a 1955 V8 Ford Pop named Miss Poppy. Every year, Ann gets dressed up in her 50's outfits and takes Miss Poppy to Beach Hop. Ann's happy place is at her bach in Whitianga.
Curtis Nicholson
Sales Manager
Curtis is the youngest son of Ross Nicholson. He has worked in all departments, starting as a Service/Parts Advisor, then Business Manager, before moving into Sales and working his way to Sales Manager. Curtis lives in Morrinsville with his wife Baylee and son Harry. When Curtis isn't working, you can usually find him down at the Morrinsville Rugby Club.
Chris Earl
Sales Consultant
Chris is our longest standing employee, having worked for Nicholson Autos for over 40 years. Chris started in our Parts Department and has been in Sales for over 20 years now. He is well known around the Morrinsville region and is a very loyal employee. Chris is an avid motorsport and car enthusiast.
Erin Klatt
Sales Consultant
Erin was born in Wisconsin, USA and lived there up until 2016. She then travelled to New Zealand to see all that New Zealand has to offer. She decided to set up camp in Morrinsville, where she took a job on a dairy farm. After 3 years of farming she made a change and joined our Sales team just round the corner from her home. Erin now considers herself a Morrinsville local.
Kat Coldicutt
Business Manager
Kat joined Nicholson Autos in 2018 after 15 years as a qualified Beauty Therapist. She is married to Andrew with 2 sons, Jakob and Logan. When not working she is renovating her home in Te Aroha or restoring her 1976 KE30 Corolla.
Ryan Kerby
Service Manager
Ryan join Nicholson Autos in 2021 as a Service Manager. He has a wealth of experience, being in the industry for over 15 years. Ryan lives in Te Kowhai with his wife and four kids. When Ryan isn't working, he can usually be found helping out his local junior rugby club or lacing up his boots and playing a game for the prezzies.
Our Team
Char Tate-Kairau
Senior Service Advisor
Born in Auckland, Char moved to Hamilton in 2006. After high school, she went on to study business and financial management. Char started her automotive career at a large dealership in Hamilton before moving to be our senior service advisor at Nicholson Autos. Char enjoys spending time with her beautiful daughter who keeps her busy when she’s not at work.
Chelsea Doelman
Service Advisor
Chelsea join Nicholson Autos in 2021 as a Service Advisor. This is her first job within the automotive industry. When not at work, Chelsea is a qualified chef who loves baking or cooking up a storm for her 3 kids, family and friends. Chelsea is also a keen footballer and enjoys getting out on the pitch whenever she can.
Andrew Lingard
Parts Manager
Andrew has been at Nicholson Autos for almost 35 years. He knows the parts side of the automotive industry like the back of his hand. Andrew was a local volunteer fire fighter for over 32 years and even travelled to Barcelona representing New Zealand as team leader, competing in a World Road Crash Rescue Challenge. When Andrew isn't working you can usually find him at his holiday home at Waihi Beach or out fishing.
Greg Kerby
Parts Advisor
Greg has almost 50 years experience in the Automotive Industry. He has come to Nicholsons to share his knowledge while taking on a less stressful role. Greg was an After Sales Manager for a large automotive dealer for 25 years before joining Nicholson Autos. Greg has a wife, Maree and 3 sons, Ryan, Bevan and Alan.
Marie Doelman
CRM Administrator
Marie dairy-farmed in and around Morrinsville for over 25 years before becoming a townie again in 2018 with her husband, Max. After many years involved in local schools and sports clubs she now has time to spend time with her children and grandchildren, reap the rewards of her growing garden and enjoy a chilled glass of pinot gris around the brazier.
Hamish Evans
Dealer Principal
Hamish joined Nicholson Autos with a ton of experience in the automotive industry. Having worked in vehicle sales in large cities, he joined Nicholsons as a Sales Manager in 2017. It didn't take long for Hamish to move to our Rotorua dealership and be appointed Dealer Principal. Hamish is an adrenaline junkie, loving anything that moves fast from sports cars to motorbikes!
Chris Holmes
Sales Consultant
Chris has been with Nicholson Autos for over 10 years, starting in the Morrinsville Service Department. He has always wanted to be a Car Salesperson and achieved this goal in 2013. Chris lives in Matamata with his partner and his dog. Chris is in full swing renovation mode and loves anything to do with cars.
Mark Donoghue
Sales Consultant
Mark joined Nicholson Autos when we opened our Rotorua dealership in 2018. Being a Rotorua local with plenty of sales experience, he has become an incredibly valued employee. Mark is always ready to have a laugh and share a beer with friends and family.
Cameron Trask
Sales Consultant
Cameron joined Nicholson Autos as a vehicle detailer and not long after moved in Vehicle Sales. He has always been into cars, it all started with his Grandfather Chris Barns a well known rally driver. Cameron also enjoys building his new car a JZX100 and when not doing that, he is usually doing a bit of gaming.
Aaron Biddick
Business Manager
Aaron is originally from Auckland but has lived all across the South Pacific before settling in Papamoa in 2018. Aaron took the role as Business Manager at Nicholson Autos in 2019. He loves to travel and explore with the family. Aaron used to compete in power lifting competitions in New Zealand and Australia and even won the National Title for his weight division.
Ian Holbrook
Service Manager
Ian has been in the Automotive Industry almost 40 years, starting his career as a Service Advisor at large a Toyota dealership in Hamilton. He started at Nicholson Autos as a Service Manager in 2005. Ian lives in Hamilton with his wife and enjoys training for half marathons in his spare time.
Jazmin Matchitt
Service Support Manager
Jazmin started at Nicholsons as a Vehicle Detailer in 2016 and quickly moved into the role of Service Advisor. She has always had in interest in cars and is really into JDM vehicles. When Jazmin isn't working she is gaming or horse riding.
Nicola Vlaming
Service Advisor
Nicola originally came from Waihi has recently moved to Rotorua. She joined our Nicholson team in 2021. She lives with her partner Paul and daughter Bailey on a dairy farm. Nicola really enjoys fishing with the family, out on the lakes.
Mark Mountfort
Parts Manager
Mark is born and bred in Rotorua. He has been working in Automotive Parts Departments since 2012, specializing in Holden and Isuzu. In 2019, Mark join Nicholson Autos as Parts Manager. Mark is another Nicholsons employee that loves his cars, owning a 370z and a Nissan Navara. When he isn't working he enjoys weight lifting and getting out and about exploring.
Brad McKenzie
Dealer Principal
Brad has been with Nicholson Autos since we opened in Whakatane in 2013. He started as a Service Advisor and worked in every department before becoming our Dealer Principal. When Brad isn't working he enjoys field hockey and spending time with his wife and kids.
Neil Mardon
General Sales Manager
Neil was born and bred in Durban, South Africa. He moved to New Zealand in 2014 and joined Nicholson Autos in 2020. Neil now lives in Ohope with his wife Sindy and their two boys, Dylan and Grayson. He likes to take advantage of the Eastern Bay lifestyle and enjoys fishing and cycling with the family.
Stephen Davenport
Sales Manager
Stephen started at Nicholson Autos in 2016 as a Sales Consultant and by 2019 he had worked his way up to Sales Manager. He is born and bred in Kildare, Ireland. When he isn't at work he enjoys spending time with his family and just relaxing during the weekends.
Abi Webb
Sales Manager
Abi has been at Nicholsons for over 5 years. Before joining the Nicholson team, she was a full-time chef at a local restaurant. She started her career as a Service Advisor and later moved into sales. Abi lives in Whakatane with her husband Blair and her beautiful daughter Harper.
Mario Brunetti
Sales Consultant
Mario has been with Nicholson Autos for 5 years in our sales department. He makes his daily trip over the hill from Ohope to come to work every day. He is passionate about keeping fit and spends as much time as he can with the family in his spare time.
Lynne Butler
Business Manager
Lynne lives in Whakatane with her husband Wayne. She has two sons Mark and Flynn. Mark is a qualified heavy diesel mechanic and Flynn is currently at medical school. Lynne loves to take her motor home on road trips when she gets a few days off.
Andrew Wilson
Service Manager
Andrew started at Nicholson Autos a technician but quickly moved into the role of Service Manager. Andrew has been a qualified technician for over 20 years. Andrew is a volunteer fire fighter in Whakatane and has been 16 years. When Andrew is busy fighting fires, he likes to be at home with family.
Karen Dennis
Service Office Manager
Karen has been in the Automotive industry for over 25 years and has been with Nicholson Autos since we opened in Whakatane in 2013. Karen has a partner Leon and a beautiful daughter named Emily. When not working, Karen can usually be found spending quality time with the extended family.
Kelsey Palmer
Service Advisor
Kelsey grew up in the Whakatane region on a dairy farm. She has been at Nicholson since 2019 as a Service Advisor. Kelsey loves dirt bikes and social gatherings on the weekend.
Calum Green
Parts Manager
Calum has been working in and around cars since the age of 16. He has worked in the automotive industry his entire life. Calum is always building drift cars with friends. When he is not under the bonnet, you can usually find him brewing craft beer.
Liam Dawson
Parts Advisor
Liam join Nicholson Autos because he has a keen interest in cars. He is currently doing a parts apprenticeship. Liam is into local theater and enjoys staying active by swimming, running and going to the gym.
Ritchie Tidd
Parts Trade Manager
Ritchie started at Nicholson Autos in 2016 as a Parts Advisor with plenty of experience being a qualified panel beater. Ritchie has put all that experience to good use and is now our Parts Trade Manager. When Ritchie isn't working, you can usually find him having quality family time.
Ben Jones
Service & Parts Manager
Ben has been at Nicholson Autos since we opened in Whakatane in 2013. He started as a Parts Manager and is now currently our Parts and Service Manager. Ben is restoring a jet boat at the moment.
Rob Howard
Valet Manager
Rob has been at Nicholson’s for three and a half years. Started as service advisor and expanded his career within Nicholson’s over the last few years. Prior to that Rob worked at a multiple franchise dealership in Byron Bay. In Rob’s spare time he likes to do paddle boarding in the summer and skiing in the winter with friends.
Caleb Walding
Sales Manager
Caleb has recently joined Nicholson Autos, bringing with him close to 7 years’ experience. Originally from Auckland, he moved to the sunny BOP in 2014 and lives in Papamoa Beach with his fiancée Dail and dog Charlie. When not working Caleb loves cooking American Style Low n Slow BBQ and spending time with family and friends.
Pauline Hampton
Sales Consultant
Pauline joined Nicholson Autos in 2020, coming from a large dealership in Christchurch. She is currently in Sales at our Hub dealership. She lives in Whakatane with her daughter and when she is not at work she enjoys....
Maria Costello
Business Manager
Maria moved to Whakatane in 2020 from the Hawkes Bay region. She has been a Business Manager in the automotive industry for over 10 years. In her spare time Maria likes to ride her 1986 Harley Sportster.
