A Day in the Life: TrailLite Joint Managing Director, Shaun Newman

February 10, 2025

Having been in the business since birth, Joint Managing Director of TrailLite, Shaun Newman talks about what his day normally looks like and whether he has any fights with the other joint MD (his brother).

As joint managing director of a family-owned business, what does your general day look like?

My day is pretty dynamic, and a lot of it revolves around collaboration. Our business covers a lot of ground with sales, service and manufacturing teams all working together to create great experiences for our customers. So, a large part of what I do is ensure everyone’s on the same page and working smoothly together. One of the things I really love is connecting with both our team and customers – it’s important to me that everyone feels appreciated. Whenever I can, I like to personally greet our new TrailLite family members on their handover day. This is such a big moment for them and it’s nice to share in that excitement. It also gives me the chance to hear directly from them about their experience with us and any ways we can do even better.

How does having family members as colleagues impact how you operate? Have you learnt to deal with conflict and when you might not see eye to eye?

I’m very close to my two brothers, and we enjoy being on this journey together. From a practical point of view, it’s incredibly helpful to have other people help with decision-making. We’re very closely aligned but have different strengths. Sometimes, one of us will see an angle or perspective that the other misses. We have very high levels of trust in each other, and I think that helps with minimising conflict. We might disagree, but if a brother feels particularly strongly about something, then I’m prepared to reconsider my position or roll with it this time around.

Did you always know you were going to take over the family business or were there other pathways you did and/or wanted to explore before being appointed?

None of us showed any interest in the business beyond school holiday jobs. It wasn’t until we were older and had some life experience that we could see what Dad had built. The business had great products and an excellent reputation. When I started looking closer it became an incredibly exciting opportunity to build on that base with some of the experience I’d gained elsewhere. The experience my brothers and I gained outside of the business has been critical to our success, and I’m pleased we forged our own paths initially.

Having been around the business since you were young, what would you say is the biggest change you have seen in TrailLite?

The motorhome and caravan lifestyle has become much more popular since I joined the business, and the business has grown with it. Caravanning had its heyday in the ’60s and ’70s but hit the wall in the ’80s. When my father bought the company in 1980, they had two staff. Slowly, the lifestyle has been growing in popularity, and more recently, it has become a very popular lifestyle choice for a wide range of ages, including families. Our largest demographic, however, remains baby boomers who are nearing retirement or recently retired. They’re healthy, active and enjoy the social side of motorhome and caravan travel. They travel with friends, visit family and attend events. The freedom and active lifestyle that a new generation of retirees are looking for has seen the industry grow significantly in product range and profile.

As a business with over 70 years of history, how do you continue to stay ahead of the game, especially when global brands have made it to New Zealand?

While we look overseas to track trends and identify innovation, most of our best ideas come from our customers. We sell directly and are lucky to have a close relationship with the people using the product daily. The way people use motorhomes and caravans is different in New Zealand, with a much greater emphasis on self-contained freedom camping. That uniqueness has allowed us to ensure our products are as good as possible for that style of travelling. We also decided early on to target the premium end of the market, where we can differentiate ourselves and move the conversation away from price. As a New Zealand manufacturer, it’s impossible to compete on price with much larger international competitors. It’s been important to understand where our value lies, how we can differentiate ourselves and go all in on that.