We design and build a wide range of quality vehicles and equipment across many sectors – including Law Enforcement, Medical Emergency, Corrections, Fire Emergency, Defence, Border Control, Security and Accessibility Transport.
Wade holds ISO Telarc Registered certifications, and our highly-skilled experienced team also create best-in-class transporters for equine and motorsport. These bespoke high-end vehicles embody the utmost in sophisticated elegance, safety, and performance – attracting discerning buyers globally.
We collaborate closely with our customers, combining strong intuitive design and world-class componentry and technology to ensure we deliver innovative and cost-effective solutions that help you perform at the very top of your game.
Our Values
Living our Values
Sustainable
Caring for people and planet.
The environment around us is not only our home but everything that keeps us alive. Therefore, caring for the environment and working to reduce our impact is front and centre in our daily mahi. Being kind and supporting each other is inherent in every one of us.
Integrity
Keep our promises.
Leading by example, we consistently behave in a way to support our values.
Delivering on our promises and seeing change positively will encourage others to do the same. Mutual respect and empathy is at our core.
Teamwork
Achieve more together.
We co-operate as one team and are always ready to collaborate - sharing knowledge and experience to support our team mates. We recognise and celebrate the successes of others.
Excellence
Passion in all we do.
We always think and act with our customer in mind - delivering on their expectations, striving to meet or exceed their needs now and in the future. We find better ways to do things and take the initiative to solve problems.
Dad would be incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved in the business that he started more than 40 years ago.
Alyssa Wade
Managing Director
Divisions & Capabilities
Wade Equine
Sophisticated Elegance
Wade Equine leads the way in customisation and high-end luxury coach fitout.
We work closely with our customers to create the perfect equine coach to suit their individual style and needs.
These bespoke high-end vehicles embody the utmost in sophisticated elegance, safety, and performance – attracting discerning buyers globally.
Wade’s passion for motorsport has featured right from the start. The transporters we create are highly bespoke to ensure they meet the unique demands of racing teams. We build to the highest possible standards of quality, safety and luxury so both driver and race car can perform at their best.
With more than 5000 built and delivered, Wade has a proven track record of equipping and enabling police vehicles for a variety of end uses – from frontline cars and wagons to trucks and vans.
With purpose-designed control systems and high-quality fittings, Wade police vehicles provide the utmost in safety and efficiency to help police do their tough and challenging work.
Close collaboration with our customers delivers intuitive vehicles which genuinely makes their workforces job safer and more effective.
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Neil Robinson
Operations Manager – Emergency Vehicles
Wade’s experience in building ambulances dates back to the early 1990’s. We build the highest quality bespoke ambulances in various sizes and configurations to suit wide ranging customer needs.
Extensive computer modelling plus exhaustive field testing ensures our ambulances are not only fit-for-purpose, they provide the highest level of safety, hygiene and comfort to drivers, and patients alike.
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Carl Fitzwater
Operations Manager – Commercial Vehicles
Wade builds a bespoke range of highly-secure prisoner transport vehicles in various sizes and configurations to suit a wide range of customer needs.
Extensive computer modelling plus exhaustive field testing ensures our vehicles are not only fit-for-purpose, they provide the highest level of safety and security to drivers, guards and prisoners alike.
Contact
Carl Fitzwater
Operations Manager – Commercial Vehicles
Whatever purpose your vehicle must perform, Wade has the experience, and capability and commitment to ensure we deliver the right vehicle solution to meet your unique needs. From mobile health clinics and passenger vehicles to turn-key catering support vehicles, Wade will work closely with you from initial design right through to build and vehicle delivery – on time and on budget.
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Carl Fitzwater
Operations Manager – Commercial Vehicles
Alyssa brings more than 25 years within the specialty vehicle sector to Wade.
Progressing through various roles in the business ultimately led Alyssa to her current position as Managing Director and owner of Wade Group.
A passionate hands-on leader, Alyssa has a deep knowledge of manufacturing which is complemented by her extensive experience directing the many operations within the business. She is highly customer focused with a finger on the pulse of all workstreams and contracts.
Alyssa is a highly skilled communicator, building strong relationships and delivering on her promises, generating trust across the industry. She sets high standards and leads by example which filters through to productivity, quality, and ultimately, excellent customer satisfaction.
Alyssa is a firm believer that people are the key to Wade Group’s success and she takes a genuine interest in staff at an individual level. She works to build a motivated, loyal and engaged team who feel valued, consulted and heard. The fact that many of her team are 20+ year veterans is testament to the excellent culture Alyssa has fostered.
Louis has a passion for people and has carried this throughout his career.
Starting in the health and fitness industry, to government, and then to manufacturing, Louis has always focussed clearly on his self-stated goal of “developing people so they are better today than they were yesterday”.
In his role as General Manager at Wade Group Louis is an exceptional communicator.
He believes that to get the best outcome for customers, it is vital to value people, invest time and resource in their development, and support them in reaching their full potential.
Louis is a qualified Lean Coach - which looks at people, habits and behaviours, and also a Kaizen Practitioner - which provides tools in management, systems, methods, and business improvement.
His proven track-record of creating and leading motivated, engaged, loyal and high-performing teams is a result of the bottom-up approach he brings to management.
Louis’ approach has been recognised with numerous accolades - Leadership Awards, Society of Local Government Managers Award for Building Organisational Capability and a Winner of Westpac’s Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards.
Recognised as an authority in business improvement and transformation, Louis is regularly invited to speak at conferences in New Zealand and Australia.
Fal is a qualified Chartered Accountant and a Certified Public Accountant.
She has been with Wade Group for over 5 years and is astute and highly competent in her role as Group Finance Manager.
Combining her expertise in finance and exceptional attention to detail with her extensive manufacturing experience, makes Fal an integral part of the Wade Group team.
Fal is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors and sits on the board of charitable organisation, Mathematics for Lifetime.
Highly organised, methodical and a strong and clear communicator, Fal enables efficient and cost-effective planning and scheduling, keeping stakeholders up-to-date at all times.
Neil started work as a panel beater at 16, successfully completing his apprenticeship a few years later. He spent 11 years in the collision repair and restoration trade where he showed an aptitude for taking initiative.
Joining Wade Group in 2013 to build portable cranes, Neil quickly progressed to fitting out ambulances and now leads Wade Emergency Vehicle operations.
When Wade Group was successful in winning the New Zealand Police Vehicle contract, Neil was responsible for vehicle prototyping, workshop improvements, streamlining processes and ensuring the team had everything they needed to do their job to the highest standard.
Neil thrives on customer interaction making it a fun and professional experience for all involved. His attention to detail and excellent follow-through adds tangible value.
He has a broad knowledge of Wade Group operations - from manufacturing, prototyping, purchasing and accounts through to sales and ongoing customer support.
Neil’s inquisitive nature is always seeking for ways to do things better.
Allan is a talented designer and high-level manager with more than 30 years industry experience, and he oversees the Equine Coaches operations at Wade Group.
Starting with Wade in 2005, Allan has spent the last decade as Operations Manager for the business - the last seven years focussing solely on the highly successful New Zealand Police fitout.
Allan’s extensive experience in the manufacture and fitout of specialist vehicles draws upon an impressive and varied background in engineering, design, project management and governance roles. This potent mix of technical understanding and management capability underpinned his exceptional leadership of the NZ Police contract.
Wade’s high-performance team enjoyed positive feedback from NZ Police throughout the delivery of the contract, and the fact that warranty claims accounted for less than 1% over those seven years is testament to the culture of excellence Allan instilled in the team.
Carl is a highly organised design engineer, project manager, and qualified Kaizen Practitioner. He leads the Commercial Operations at Wade Group.
Starting with Wade as a youngster in 2001, Carl learned the ropes on the shop floor.
In 2007 he started work as a fabricator at Stainless Design in Hamilton, successfully completing his Mechanical Engineering trade. He went on to work across design, machining and engineering, and finally into management as Team Leader.
Carl had an opportunity to re-join Wade in 2015, taking up the role as Operations Manager across Wade’s rapidly growing Equine and Commercial operations.
Carl has an exceptional understanding of the processes and inputs required to deliver high quality vehicle fitouts. This experience, coupled with his excellent down-to-earth communication skills equips him to closely collaborate with clients to help them achieve their custom fleet requirements.
Ross is a highly skilled coachbuilder and brings more than 27 years of industry experience and expertise to his role as Service Manager at Wade Equine Coaches.
Completing his coachbuilder trade certificate in 1987, Ross went on achieve an advanced trade certificate in coachbuilding. Once he finished his apprenticeship with New Zealand Motor bodies in Palmerston North in the early 90’s, Ross and his family moved to Hamilton to work with Wade Group in 1996.
Ross has managed the Wade Equine service division for the past 15 years and together with his team is passionate about delivering exceptional customer service and support.
From the delivery and handover of new coaches to the scheduled servicing of Wade’s market-leading luxury vehicles, Ross is clearly focussed on creating ongoing satisfaction for Wade Equine clients.
Sim Aujla is a highly skilled business analyst with a unique ability to blend technical expertise with interpersonal skills. In 2018, he earned his Bachelor of Business Analysis degree with a major in Accounting from Waikato University. For the past four and a half years, Sim has been a valuable member of Wade.
Initially, Sim worked as an Accountant for two years before becoming the Key Accounts Co-ordinator for the Emergency Vehicles division, where he served for a further two years. During his tenure, Sim played a pivotal role in the company achieving three ISO standards in Quality, Health & Safety, and Environmental, which led to his promotion as Quality & Continuous Improvement Lead in May 2023.
Currently, Sim is undergoing training to become a Continuous Improvement Practitioner, and he recently completed an Internal Audit course with Telarc.
In addition to his technical expertise, Sim is admired by his peers for his ability to get things done - from management to the workshop floor. Sim's primary responsibility is to help the Wade Group achieve its strategic goals, including the objective of becoming the top automotive customization provider in the market.
He chairs Wade’s H&S Committee and leads the Social Club.
Our journey started more than 40 years ago with a passion for cars and horses. While we’ve certainly come a long way since then, Wade’s tradition of excellence and strong family values remain the foundation of our business.
1940
1949
In the blood
Born into a horse racing family, it was no surprise that Roy Wade went on to create market-leading Wade Equine Coaches.
1960
1968
A true craftsman
Roy’s passion for fast cars and talent in panel beating came together when he fully restored this beautiful E-Type Jaguar.
1970
1970
Eat my dust
Roy Wade emerges from the dust in his Ford Cortina. A passion for motorsport runs in the family blood for generations to come. Roy’s sponsors Highway Services in Northway Street, later became Roy’s first business, Wade Motors.
1980
1980
A sight to see
Roy and the Wade Team build luxury tour coaches from the chassis up!
1980
A sight to see
Roy and the Wade Team build luxury tour coaches from the chassis up!
1986
Class of yesteryear
Wade has always valued our Team. Carl and Paddy are still with the business today!
1988
Old school
Traditional collision repair back in the day required precise skill and a keen eye for detail.
1988
Go Louise!
Roy’s daughter Louise Wade going hard at the Hamilton Kart track.
1989
First float
Roy designs and builds Alyssa a 2-horse float in his original panel shop. Wade still operates from Northway Street in Te Rapa, Hamilton.
1989
First float
Roy designs and builds Alyssa a 2-horse float in his original panel shop. Wade still operates from Northway Street in Te Rapa, Hamilton.
1990
1990
Back to the future
Our first full-time design engineer joins the team - taking over from Roy’s hand-drawn sketches. Computerised design was a game-changer for the business.
1990
Leading the way
Wade Europanel was well known as the ‘go-to’ panel shop for customers wanting the very best – Wade continues to strive for excellence in everything we do.
1993
Very first horse truck
Roy’s growing team set out to build a ‘hybrid’ to transport damaged cars for Wade’s collision repair business, plus to carry a 3-horse lift-off box with comfortable living accommodation for daughter Alyssa at equestrian competitions. (ironically, the truck never towed a car!).
1993
Finishing touches
Paddy (on the airgun) started as an apprentice with Wade in 1986 – a highly valued craftsman, he’s still with the business more than 35 years on!
1993
A paying customer
Striding out in striking livery, the first Wade Equine Coach travels with the Wade Family to Lake Taupo. Wade Equine’s first paying customer placed an order as a direct result of seeing this coach at the Taupo Horse Trials – as they say, the rest is history!
1993
A family affair, The Wade’s
Bottom left: Alyssa. Bottom right: Mum, Annette. Top right: Dad, Roy (in his favourite spot). Top left: Louise.
1994
Wade Family roadies
Annette and Roy liked nothing more than taking the family away on adventures.
1994
Wade Family roadies
Annette and Roy liked nothing more than taking the family away on adventures.
Mid 1990’s
Supporting motorsport
Annette and Roy Wade’s son-in-law Barrie Thomlinson is supported by the very first Wade Equine Coach in the background. Roy supported many well-known race drivers early in their careers, a tradition that Alyssa continues to this day.
1990’s
Ambulances
Roy imports trucks directly from Chevrolet in the USA, converting them to right-hand-drive. This begins Wade’s long history of building ambulances for NZ’s emergency services.
1990’s
Ambulances
Roy imports trucks directly from Chevrolet in the USA, converting them to right-hand-drive. This begins Wade’s long history of building ambulances for NZ’s emergency services.
2000
2000
Dressed to perform
Alyssa ready for the Dressage Phase of the NZ National Championships Supported by Wade Equine 2000 Series demonstrator, Annette Wade and groom Jodie.
2000
Dressed to perform
Alyssa ready for the Dressage Phase of the NZ National Championships Supported by Wade Equine 2000 Series demonstrator, Annette Wade and groom Jodie.
2000
Industry first turns heads
Wade’s ‘Demonstrator’ captures the market at the 2000 Taupo Three Day Event – the exceptional attention to detail and industry first slide-out-luxury-living ushers in the new millennium in style.
2000
Industry first turns heads
Wade’s ‘Demonstrator’ captures the market at the 2000 Taupo Three Day Event – the exceptional attention to detail and industry first slide-out-luxury-living ushers in the new millennium in style.
2000
A growing family
Wade is growing rapidly – embracing the demand for bespoke vehicles to serve niche markets like equine, motorsport, law enforcement and emergency services. Many of these faces are still part of our Team.
2002
High-profile international customer Al Shahania Stud
Built for H.H. Sheik Mohammad bin Khalifa Al Thani, this beautiful highly bespoke Wade Equine coach presents in pristine condition more than 20 years later.
2003
Export markets grow
A thoroughbred transporter for another Sheik based in New South Wales, Australia. Delivery and handover by Denis who still delivers Wade Equine coaches today.
2003
Export markets grow
A thoroughbred transporter for another Sheik based in New South Wales, Australia. Delivery and handover by Denis who still delivers Wade Equine coaches today.
2000’s
Flying high at Puhinui
Alyssa competing in the show jumping phase of the International Three Day Event held at Puhinui in Auckland.
2000’s
Alyssa Wade riding ‘The Client’
Alyssa’s passion was Eventing – here she rides her talented event horse who was later sold to an international Olympic Eventing Team.
2002
Expanding the Fleet
Roger and Carol Fleet approached Roy to build a state-of-the-art motorhome. The Fleets and the Wades shared a passion for adventure and became close friends over many family holidays (Roy Wade in centre).
2002
Expanding the Fleet
Roger and Carol Fleet approached Roy to build a state-of-the-art motorhome. The Fleets and the Wades shared a passion for adventure and became close friends over many family holidays (Roy Wade in centre).
2002
Home Away from House & Garden
Freelance writer Shelley Bridgeman wrote an article for January 2002 NZ House & Garden magazine about The Fleet family’s state-of-the-art motorhome built by Wade – Shelley must have been impressed as she went on to commission her own highly bespoke Wade Equine horse truck which featured in the October 2013 NZ House & Garden.
2005
A true Pioneer
Roy Wade takes some time out to relax and enjoy a well-earned glass of wine in a newly completed Wade Equine Pioneer Series demonstrator.
2005
Champion transporter
Wade built, Toyota NZ Motorsport’s semi-trailer race car transporter is still a good-looking regular at races throughout New Zealand to this day.
2006
Starting young!
Alyssa’s daughter Emma at the Te Rapa Horse Trials.
2010
2010
Supporting the sport
A bigger Emma on her pony at the Te Rapa Horse Trials – Wade is a long-time sponsor of the event and many other similar events throughout New Zealand and Australia.
2013
Truck Envy
Shelley Bridgeman commissions her own Wade Equine Coach which features in NZ House & Garden magazine in 2013.
2014
Alyssa takes the reins GM
Joining the family business at 18, Alyssa started with filing and reception, soon finding her niche in design, marketing and management. In her new role as Managing Director, Alyssa’s role expanded greatly.
2018
New Zealand International Business Awards
Alyssa is a finalist in the ‘Inspiring Women Leaders’ category.
2018
Good Design Award win
Wade wins Best in Class at Australia’s prestigious GOOD DESIGN AWARDS for the Victoria Police Alcohol Testing (ADT) Bus.
2019
Roy Henry Wade 18 July 1945 – 13 September 2019
Recognising and celebrating a legend. Roy’s legacy lives on.
2020
2021
Skoda Police Car media launch in Wellington
Alyssa Wade, Neil Robinson and Alan McKenzie in the Capital to celebrate the start of Wade’s extensive nationwide rollout of vehicles for NZ Police - building on a long-standing partnership that goes back to the Holden days.
2022
Fresh brand for Wade Equine
Emma Wade at Equitana in Melbourne sporting Wade Equine’s new brand.
2022
Equitana, Melbourne
Emma and Alyssa Wade enjoying Equitana with long-time friend and sponsored rider, Caroline Hooper (right).
2023
NAZCAR
Race Event Programme Cover model Emma Wade
2022
Wade Company Values Launched
The whole Wade Team collaborated to identify a set of values that we hold dear and strive to live by.
2023
Telarc ISO Certification
Wade achieves Telarc ISO Certification affirming our commitment to quality, our people and the environment. The mahi involved in reaching this milestone was significant and intensive – an incredibly proud moment for the Wade Team.
2023
Supporting Motorsport
As part of Wade’s ongoing commitment to Motorsport, the company sponsors the Osborne Motorsport team - brothers Fynn and Clay Osborne. Alyssa gets behind the wheel when time (and the Osborne boys) allow.
2023
Supporting Motorsport
As part of Wade’s ongoing commitment to Motorsport, the company sponsors the Osborne Motorsport team - brothers Fynn and Clay Osborne. Alyssa gets behind the wheel when time (and the Osborne boys) allow.
2023
Supporting Motorsport
As part of Wade’s ongoing commitment to Motorsport, the company sponsors the Osborne Motorsport team - brothers Fynn and Clay Osborne. Alyssa gets behind the wheel when time (and the Osborne boys) allow.
2023
Police Dog Unit launch
Wade’s Neil Robinson speaks to TV One about New Zealand Police’s all-new Dog Unit vehicles. The Dog Units form part of the new fleet for NZ Police.
2023
Police Dog Unit launch
Wade’s Neil Robinson speaks to TV One about New Zealand Police’s all-new Dog Unit vehicles. The Dog Units form part of the new fleet for NZ Police.
2023
BMW EV Launch
New Zealand Police unveil their first fully electric highway patrol vehicle
2023
BMW EV Launch
New Zealand Police unveil their first fully electric highway patrol vehicle
2024
Jaxon Evans Racing
Wade sponsors Jaxon Evans to race in Repco Supercars Championship, GT World Challenge Australia + selected Porsche AG endurance events
Work at Wade
Work at Wade
When you join Wade, you’re joining a diverse team of people who are driven to perform. Wade is a well established family business with a strong team culture and good values. We look after our people by putting Health and Safety first, offering solid career pathways and competitive renumeration.
We’re always looking for talented individuals who value quality and take pride in their work. If you’re motivated to create outstanding work, we’d love to hear from you.
