Changing faces: The Matakana

Leigh local Greg Lawrence is the new face of The Matakana pub, taking over the reins from departing owners Duncan and Hannah Anderson.

He has teamed up with four other partners to buy and run the historic village landmark and took over last week, on April 11.

“It’s two couples and myself, we’re old school friends,” says Greg. “They live in Auckland but have had a long association with the area and have properties up here.”

Managing The Matakana will be quite a change for Greg, whose partner Kerrin Jamieson teaches Year 7 students at Mahurangi College – until last month, he was commuting to Albany and working within the banking industry. He says he’s wanted a change in career and to find work in the region since he and his family moved here eight years ago.

“That was always the missing piece of our puzzle … not only to live here, but to be able to work here as well, and I’m forever grateful that I’ve got that chance now,” he says. “The opportunity for the pub came up and my partners just said if we have a crack at it, would you like to come in and run the day-to-day operation. There was not a second’s hesitation.”

He says all the owners are in it for the long term and firmly believe in the pub as hub and heart of the village.

“I think in the short term, over the next few months, it will be just business as usual and we’ll just be building on the great job that Duncan and Hannah have done.

“The long term vision is to take it to the next level and have the best pub in New Zealand, and we just want to make sure everyone who comes here has a great time.”

He says he is keen to continue and further develop The Matakana’s use of local seasonal produce whenever possible. Live music at the weekends will continue, and the pub’s popular quiz night will also be run as usual. One casualty, however, is this year’s Seagull Race on the Matakana River, which has been cancelled, but with the hope of rescheduling at a later date.