History

One hundred years ago in 1908, Hardie & Thomson Ltd was started in St Albans., Mr. William Thomson (who was already running a team of tradesmen and building houses) teamed up with Mr. Bill Hardie, a joiner, and created the timber, saw milling and joinery company.They offered wages of 17 shillings and 6 pence ($1.75) per week, and only a 44 hour work week instead of the usual 48 hours. This was an attractive way of getting new employees.

The company provided timber, sawmilling and joinery services. Today, they provide the same basic services…and I’m certain that Hardie & Thomson Ltd is St Albans’ oldest business.
It remains at the original location on Colombo Street. William Thomson and Bill Hardie and their employees worked hard to deliver high quality product, on time and at a fair price. As a result the business grew and prospered throughout the first twenty-five years.

Mr. Thomson soon took over the company as Mr. Bill Hardie suffered ill health.  Employing approximately 60 staff, Mr. William Thomson established a tradition by investing in the most advanced technology in the industry, and concentrating on fine machine work and joinery.

In 1933, a fire burnt the entire factory to the ground. This was the time of the great depression and there was no insurance and little income as orders could not be finished. Yet a large number of employees stayed on to rebuild the factory in return for food and tobacco. Within a year they were back in business and growing. William Thomson now owned the business outright and there was further expansion.

Tradition has played an important part for Hardie and Thomson Ltd.

This tradition has continued down through the generations with Mr. Kelvin Thomson concentrating on expertise in machining, designing and installing machinery exclusively for Hardie and Thomson, and Mr. John Thomson establishing a joinery shop with a reputation for custom built classic and quality joinery. A West Coast logging and milling operation commenced during the 1940s, milling native timber for the Christchurch market. This continued until the 1970s when the sawmill was closed with the milling operation continuing under contract. At its peak, the West Coast operation employed 25 staff in tree felling, hauling and sawing. Hardie and Thomson’s most important asset is in the tradition of its people - this was illustrated at Anzac weekend in 1933 when the factory was completely burned to the ground.

The Hardie and Thomson site in Colombo Street is much smaller in area than has been in the past. For instance, on the site of the BP service station, and behind the Century Cinema (now the Century Supervalue), timber was stacked for air-drying before being processed at the Colombo Street site. In order to maintain high quality, management carefully supervised each step in the manufacturing process, from obtaining the raw materials through to the final installation
of the product in homes and buildings. I asked John Thomson why the business had been successful over four generations. John was very clear in his answer:

“First, treat your customers with respect and provide excellent value for the money they have spent. Always make sure the customer is satisfied
and if they are not, quickly make sure they become satisfied regardless of what it takes”.

“Treat the customer like you would like to be treated”.

“Second, treat your employees just like you treat your customers. Make sure they are trained well and continue to learn their trade. Treat them fairly and pay competitive
wages”.

 “Third, do everything with honesty and integrity”.

It certainly appears to me that Hardie & Thomson really practise this in every aspect of their business. What an accomplishment for a business to be in the same family for a hundred years, providing the same services at the same location. This could only happen because of the strong business ethic to take care of customers and employees.
Last year Jane and I contracted with a Christchurch company to install doubleglazed windows in our 1908 villa. Shortly after starting work, the company realised they had encountered some problems they were incapable of solving because of the complexity of fitting wooden windows into the existing frames. They said there was only one company that could solve the problem—Hardie & Thomson Ltd. I agreed, and the work was completed by Hardie & Thomson.

The work they did was outstanding, and we are very pleased. It was perfect!

We in the St Albans community extend a grateful “HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY!”
Bill Demeter

Tradition has played an important part for Hardie and Thomson Ltd.

This tradition has continued down through the generations with Mr. Kelvin Thomson concentrating on expertise in machining, designing and installing machinery exclusively for Hardie and Thomson, and Mr. John Thomson establishing a joinery shop with a reputation for custom built classic and quality joinery. A West Coast logging and milling operation commenced.

Charles Luney served his apprenticeship here and went on to become extremely successful, building most of the landmarks in Christchurch. Mr. Luney died recently, aged 100 years.

Today, Hardie and Thomson spans four generations of Thomson’s with Mr. Casey Thomson joining the team. Already the 5th generation - Keenan Thomson is showing signs of wanting to continue the family tradition. Some employees have been with the company for over twenty years, taking pride in crafting the finest machining and cabinetry for both commercial and residential work. Some examples of commercial work that Hardie and Thomson have been involved with over the years include:

The State Fire Insurance Building, Millers, Wigram Barracks,
Burnham Camp, Christchurch Hospital Nurses
Home, Westpac Bank (Hereford Street), Heatherlea,
Quality Inn, the Parkroyal, the Charlotte Jane Boutique
Hotel, Rossendale Wines restaurant and bar in Tai Tapu
and the fine finishing’s of the refurbishment of Parliament
Buildings.

The list of notable projects that Hardie and Thomson have been involved with over the years continues to expand to the present day.
Since the earliest days, Hardie and Thomson has carefully controlled each step in the manufacturing system by establishing many sawmills to service the company, air drying the resultant timber and in latter years, kiln drying and processing the timber.
Hardie and Thomson design and construct unique, high-quality joinery, followed by stringent final inspections and installation of the finely crafted timber products.
In line with the company’s ethos of advanced technology and quality and in response to public demand, the eighties saw the modernisation of the Hardie and Thomson door manufacturing business to produce a range of distinctive and crafted standard doors. This selection of exterior and interior doors offers consistency in quality and represents the finest value in the marketplace.
The eighties also saw the launch of a ‘drive in’ facility to service both the tradesperson and the public. The `drive in’ is administered by proficient and skilled staff - who understand that service is a commodity.
These days, Hardie and Thomson concentrate on high quality joinery for new and existing homes, as well as light commercial work and the manufacture of traditional
and modern timber mouldings.
Backed by a commitment to excellence, Hardie and Thomson is a company that for a century has stood behind its finely crafted timber products, giving customers a solid pledge of quality.