Opzeeland Transport was named in 1964 by Cor and Helen van Opzeeland. In Holland, where the family history lies, naming businesses after your family name is common practice and therefore 'Opzeeland' was a natural choice for this family orientated and run business.

What started as a tradition has become a brand synonymous with innovation and history in Hornby and throughout New Zealand. In late 2020 local firm Gould Holdings acquired Opzeeland but nothing has changed or will change in terms of family culture and feel. “We intend on ensuring that whenever one of the van Opzeeland family meets somebody they will be proud to receive the typical response experienced by the founder Cor van Opzeeland: ‘oh, just like the trucking firm?’” – George Gould, Chairman of Gould Holdings and Opzeeland.

The family orientation of the business has extended through to staff and created a unique identity for Opzeeland. We currently operate with 70 staff encompassing our Dunedin, Auckland and Christchurch depots, with the majority being based at the original Hornby site in Christchurch.

Staff have always been acknowledged as an integral part of Opzeeland and, at the last count, Opzeeland people had racked up a total of over 700 years of service working for the company.

“When I first walked around the Opzeeland operation I was blown away by the attitude of the staff; Opzeeland has a very strong company identity which is held across all levels and roles” – says Jo Riley, CEO since March 2021. “It’s clear to me, a newcomer, that the staff - their care for each other and their focus on doing what is right for the customer, blended with their huge levels of experience is a very strong combination and has been the secret sauce to our success,” he says.