‘‘When I was five, we had a family friend, Tim Donaldson, over for dinner.
‘‘I told him I was going to own a supermarket one day. My mum kicked me under the table, but I meant it,’’ she says.
Years later, that same Tim Donaldson, now the general manager of retail and property at Foodstuffs South Island, was the one who called her to say: ‘‘Five-year-old Tanya would be proud. You've done it!’’
Tanya’s ownership story began in the aisles of PAKnSAVE Invercargill, the store her parents owned for over three decades.
‘‘Grocery was our dinner table conversation,’’ she says. ‘‘I was nine when I started leaving notes in the customer comment box asking my parents to hire me.’’
By 11, she had convinced her parents, Anne and Bryan Dobson, to let her do tastings around the store, and by 13 she was on checkout.
From there, she spent time working in every department, earning a law and commerce degree along the way, and eventually became store manager.
‘‘My parents always said, you can’t lead a department until you’ve worked in it. That stuck with me,’’ Tanya says.
‘‘They believed that leadership comes from firsthand experience and being a genuine team member.’’
Tanya’s move into ownership is also a part of a wider family legacy. Her two older brothers are also owner-operators within the Foodstuffs South Island network, with Matthew at New World Cromwell and Jason at New World Bishopdale.
Growing up in their family's Invercargill store, Tanya and her brothers discovered their shared passion for grocery.
Tanya spent time in both of her brothers stores, working alongside them to learn about the ins and outs of ownership. She also gained valuable experience under the leadership of new PAKnSAVE Invercargill owners Brent and Nicola Prue.
When the opportunity at New World Kaiapoi came up, Tanya couldn’t believe it. She flew up to meet Gareth and Laura Caldwell, the outgoing owneroperators.
‘‘It definitely felt like I was being pranked when I got the call from Tim that I got the store,’’ she says.
With just under four weeks from the call until takeover day in July, it was a tight turnaround. Tanya packed up her life, found a rental around the corner and moved up with her partner and their German shorthaired pointer.
‘‘Now I live two minutes from the store. It's fabulous,’’ she says. ‘‘Kaiapoi feels like a warm hug.’’
Since taking over, Tanya has already made her mark, refreshing signage, improving the store's front entrance, and even painting the car park.
‘‘Every little change is about improving the experience for our customers and team,’’ she says.
The highlight of the move for Tanya has been her store team and the community.
‘‘Honestly, its been amazing. I feel like everyone has taken me in with open arms, and I couldn’t have asked for a better team to join,’’ she says.
Tanya loves the closeness of the Kaiapoi community and the connections she’s building every day.
Come weekends she’s on the sidelines of local sports games, supporting the teams and events that the store sponsors. She’s also built strong ties with the local food bank just down the road and is gearing up for her first Christmas in store.
‘‘We’re putting up our Christmas tree soon for the Giving Tree initiative’’, she says. ‘‘There are people out there struggling, and if we can help ease that pressure, even by donating a gift, that’s huge.’’
‘‘I’m big on supporting local. It’s been cool meeting the people behind the businesses.
‘‘People are so important, and my parents have always said, people first’’, she says.
‘‘Everything we do is for the team, and the community — they support us, so its important to support them back.
‘‘This store isn’t just where people shop; its a part of their lives,’’ Tanya says.
‘‘I really do feel like I’ve found my wonderful here. I want every visit to reflect that for our customers.’’
