LOCALS CELEBRATE IN NORTHLAND

BP service station owners Darren and Liz Johansson can’t stop smiling as they look forward to celebrating 15 years of operations in Waipapa this week.

The celebration will culminate with a host of activities at their two Northland sites, BP 2go Waipapa and BP 2go Kerikeri, on Friday 13 November.

The Johanssons are expecting plenty of visitors to join the party, including community groups, sponsorship partners and loyal customers.

Mrs Johansson beamingly said “it’ll be a big day – a number of our partners will be here to celebrate with us, we’re doing a heap of promotions and we have a special AA Smartfuel offer.”

The Johansson’s green BP awnings are well-known to locals, particularly because of their decade-long involvement in initiatives dedicated to the local community.

The local partner list goes on and on, with their support spanning rugby, soccer and fishing clubs as well as schools and charity events just to name just a few.

Kerikeri Rugby Club President Robert Groome said the relationship with Liz, Darren and BP was “a great lift to the club”.

“Our relationship with BP 2go Waipapa has been longstanding with their sponsorship continuing for the past eight years.

“To recognise their support BP 2go Kerikeri is proudly printed on our Premiers playing shirts and after match official shirts,” Mr Groome said.

As a long-standing operator of the BP in Waipapa and more recently in Kerikeri, Mrs Johansson said she is “amazed at how fast the time has gone”.

“When you’ve been around as long as we have you get to know your customers and the community really well.

“We see ourselves as more than just another service station in the area, we are locals too and we’re in it for the long haul.

“We are an active part of the community and we’ll continue to support its long-term development – we want to be here forever so we make operating decisions with that in mind,” Mrs Johansson said.

Friday’s celebration will be made even more special when BP NZ Managing Director Matt Elliott and BP NZ head of retail Frank van Hattum, pull on staff uniforms and greet customers in the Kerikeri and Waipapa stores.

“Having a long-standing partnership like the one we have with Darren and Liz is very special - they’re such an important part of the local community and we are thrilled that they have invited us to be a part of that too,” Mr Elliott said.

“What’s even more important is the fact that they are locals themselves – they live in this community and they care about the future of it, as do we.”

Even Surf Lifeguards will be getting in on the action, with volunteers from Far North Surf Rescue travelling 100km from their Club to raise funds at the Johansson’s BP 2go stores throughout the morning.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand (SLSNZ) CEO Paul Dalton said their partnership with BP spans decades, and over the years, Clubs have been able to establish some fantastic local relationships with BP stores in their communities.

“Our partnership with BP is really important because our Clubs are run by volunteers and they are heavily reliant on donations.

“Celebrations like this enable BP’s regional operators to continue to link in with our Surf Life Saving Clubs and keep those local relationships strong,” Mr Dalton said.

Mr Elliott said the relationship with SLSNZ is “believed to be the longest corporate-community partnership in New Zealand history at 47 years.”

“That’s a pretty unique thing to be able to say.”

To celebrate, customers will be able to save 10 cents per litre when they spend $40 or more on fuel at BP 2go Waipapa and BP 2go Kerikeri on Friday 13 November 2015. They can choose to accumulate or redeem instantly on up to 50 litres of fuel.

ENDS

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