Small-town grocery life takes the Mansons from Stewart Island to Methven

From kiwi calls and Foveaux Strait freight to the mountains of Mid Canterbury, Tim and Kate Manson have swapped island life for their new challenge as the owner-operators of Four Square Methven.

After two and a half years owning Four Square Stewart Island, the move brings the Mansons closer to family and friends in Canterbury, opens up more opportunities for their children Evelyn, 9, and Hugo, 6, and gives Tim and Kate a new adventure in a bigger store and community.

“Stewart Island was pretty amazing,” says Tim. “But at the moment being closer to where we are from and family and friends in Canterbury is a real priority for us.

“It’s a great opportunity career-wise. Methven is a different kettle of fish with both familiar and different opportunities and challenges. It’s exciting for us, even if it takes a while to get used to being so close to neighbours.”

Tim and Kate have spent nearly five years in the Foodstuffs South Island co-operative, having owned Four Square Bluff before the Stewart Island store. The outgoing owners of Four Square Methven, Gary and Lyn Eddington, have remarkably been in the store almost half a century;18 years as independent operators before joining the co-operative more than 29 years ago.

Both Four Squares have one thing in common - they are among more than 30 Foodstuffs South Island stores that serve communities of fewer than 5000 people.

While Stewart Island has a permanent population of around 500 and a single supermarket, Methven is home to around 2,200 people, with the population swelling with visitors taking advantage of the area’s popular outdoor activities.

“The kids are really excited about school,” Kate says. “On Stewart Island you could make a sports team but there weren’t enough kids to make another team to play against,” Tim adds.

There is plenty they will miss though. Kaimoana like crayfish and blue cod and access to the beach rank highly. The sandflies don’t.

“The people are probably the biggest thing,” Kate says. “Plus the birds and the bushwalks; it’s a novelty being kept awake by kiwi squawking!”

Their time on Stewart Island has also given Tim and Kate a unique perspective on what it takes to keep groceries moving to some of the South Island’s smallest and most remote communities, and how the co-operative’s shared scale and infrastructure helps keep them supplied, including during weather events and other disruption.

“No two towns are the same, but whether it’s in a community of 500 people or a town like Methven, being a family-owned business that is part of a bigger co-operative helps us run a store that people can rely on. You learn about the things that are most important to the locals pretty quickly,” Tim says.

For now, the Manson’s plans for Four Square Methven are straightforward.

“The first few months are really about getting to know the team, the community, providing consistency with what the store already does well and making sure we get the basics right," says Tim.

“We’ve got ourselves a rental, unpacked the boxes, got the rosters sorted and now we’re ready to get going.”