Hall of Fame Inductee 2016
Derek Dumbar
Derek Dumbar was born in Invercargill, growing up on a Southland farm.
Educated at Rathkeale College in Masterton, he made the school motto, “nothing is too difficult for mortal man”, his own motto in business and personal life.
In 1973, after attending the University of Otago, he joined Europa Oil (NZ) Limited in Dunedin as marketing officer. The company supported surf lifesaving by donating two surf jet rescue boats which reinforced his own view of the importance of supporting the community.
In 1976 Derek became office manager and operations manager for Taieri Carrying Company in Mosgiel, just outside Dunedin. In 1979, when the company purchased the Rotorua based TD Haulage Limited, he moved to Tauranga as general manager, a position he still holds today.
In 1979 he organised the NZ Heavy Haulage Association Conference in Queenstown. In 1988 he formed Road Transport Research to show that three-axle trucks and four-axle trailers could cart 42.5 tonnes and to complete research into road user charges.
In 1989 he became vice-president of the Bay of Plenty Road Transport Association. In the same year he was elected as a director to the board of the NZ Road Transport Association which subsequently became the Road Transport Forum NZ, a position he held for 25 years.
In 1989 Derek successfully moved to restructure the NZ Road Transport Association and was elected secretary of the Restructure Committee. The restructure from 27 branches to 5 regions was completed in five months and remains the structure of NZ Road Transport Association today.
He has been a member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport since 1991. In 1992 he was awarded an NZRTA/BP Oil scholarship to the New Zealand College of Management. In 1993 he chaired the NZRTA conference committee and in 1994-95 formed Export Transport to lobby for increased weights on NZ roads.
In 2008 Derek was founding chairman of the Road Transport Trust to support political parties. He remains chairman of the trust. Derek has been instrumental in raising nearly $400,000 to promote initiatives to advance the transport industry. He is a life member of both the No 2 Region Road Transport Association and the Road Transport Forum NZ.
Derek was a Queen Scout in 1965 and in 1972 was presented with a Gold Duke of Edinburgh award by Prince Philip. He was the founding president of the Mt Maunganui Cricket and Hockey Society and was president of the Mt Maunganui Hockey Club for eight years from 2005. He has played hockey continually for the last 56 years and still occasionally turns out for the Mount Studs team which he coaches and which has an average age of 30.
Derek began sailing in 1959 and is an accomplished yachtsman. He won the Noelex 25 Trailer Yacht Association New Zealand championships four times and represented New Zealand in the Noelex 25 Inter-dominion Championships. He is now learning to sail an International Foiling Moth yacht which involves a whole new dimension of swimming and sailing.
As a keen tramper and climber he is a peak bagger and has climbed more than 37 peaks in New Zealand. He is also a keen hunter and dog handler and regularly shoots deer, duck, pheasant, peacocks and quail with his German shorthaired pointer dog Monet.
An important part of Derek’s life is the art of his yoga which he has practised religiously for the last 10 years. He was president of the Tauranga Yoga Centre and says yoga is “the best thing I have ever done to keep my body and mind active”.