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Meet Lemeki and John Tagi – the father and son duo behind All Stone & Rock, a Tongan family business that has won a multi-million dollar contract to provide stone carving services around Auckland Airport.
Visitors to Auckland will see the company’s stone sculptures around the airport precinct, depicting the volcanic landscape of Tamaki Makaurau.
The success of the Tagi family is a far cry from when the family of 11 crammed into a bedroom in the state house at Sandringham, Auckland.
“We had a hard time in the beginning,” Lemeki Tagi, 64, told the Herald. “But I always believed that if you work hard, good things will come out of it.”
“When I arrived in New Zealand, the only jobs available to Pacific Islanders were as unskilled labourers. I had a dream that one day I would start a construction company – a dream I still have today.”
While the airport contract, which the company won in December 2022, changes All Stone & Rock’s financial situation, it will not change the values of the family-owned company.
The company’s vision and philosophy date back nearly three decades.
In 1996, Lemeki and his wife, Cecelia, planned to relocate from Tonga to American Samoa, where his parents lived, with eight children.
But as they were preparing to leave, Cecelia’s mother died in Oakland, and they flew here for her funeral.
Lemeki had been to New Zealand before, but this trip was different and he fell in love with the sights and the feel of the place.
Instead of heading to American Samoa, the family of 8.5 children came to Oakland, unaware that Cecelia was pregnant again.
They moved in with Cecelia’s father, who owned a council house in Sandringham, and 10 of them (with one more on the way) lived in one room.
“That room is where we actually live,” Remeki said.
“My wife and I did not want our family to become a burden on the government, so we looked for any form of work to earn money.
“We didn’t know she was pregnant again, so that made it even more difficult.”
Lemeki spends his days mowing lawns, and while his children sleep under the care of their grandfather, he and Cecilia, 69, search through people’s organic waste for scrap metal, which they then resell to scrap dealers.
He also works two cleaning jobs – one in the early morning and one in the evening.
Cecelia began sewing with her sisters, and they would take their clothes to the market to sell on weekends to supplement the family income, but her primary role was that of a housewife, while Remeki was the main breadwinner.
“It’s hard to describe how difficult it was, but whatever money we made, I always saved for family expenses,” Lemeki said. “It wasn’t easy. I was lucky to make $60 a week, but we did the best we could.
“The children are still young and need their mother to stay at home. We know that education is important.”
Later, Remeki found a job as a laborer in a construction company and learned stonemasonry skills. Coincidentally, the owner of All Rock & Stone wanted to open a restaurant, so he closed the restaurant.
In 1999, with the support of his former boss, Lemeki founded All Stone & Rock. The rest is history.
“I can’t remember when I bought my first house, but in every job I held, I always tried to save some money, and that, along with education, is what I instilled in my children,” Remeki said.
“I even buried some money when we lived in Onehunga because I soon realised my wife was a big spender.
“People would say we are rich, but I just appreciate what we have. I know what it’s like to struggle, but I’ve never been afraid to work hard.
“I hope that my legacy is that my children and grandchildren see the blessings they have received after going through hard times.
“I tell my staff to be honest with themselves, be honest with their clients and make sure our business is spread through good reports and referrals.”
The only downside to All Stone & Rocks’ rise is the blow Sicilia took in 2020.
“We can’t change lives, but we can do this as a family, and she’s happy when the kids come to see her,” Lemecky said.
Today, All Stone & Rock is a specialist stone crafts company undertaking residential, commercial and civil projects across New Zealand and the Pacific.
The company is run by a dedicated family team. Lemiki and youngest son John (who graduated with a Masters in Architecture in 2022 and now works as a Project Manager) are the company directors.
But it is Lemeki’s dedication to craftsmanship that has driven the company’s success, bringing quality and excellence to the stone industry. Winning the airport contract required years of hard work and dedication.
John, 28, said the airport contract has allowed All Stone & Rock to think outside the box, expand the business, hire more staff and give back to the community by hiring two Warriors development team players.
John said much of the company’s work stems from his father’s focus on craftsmanship.
“Through Dad’s connections, we got great recommendations for jobs at the airport, and when we attended conferences, many people at the conference knew about Dad’s job through friends.
“Dad taught us that hard work and perseverance pays off, and that has always been our family philosophy,” John told the Herald.
“Growing up, we didn’t have the luxury of going on holiday with our cousins because we were always working with dad, but now we employ more people.
“When we applied for the airport contract, I had just finished my thesis and was looking for an internship, but my dad asked me to help manage the job. But we got a lot of help from Pacific Business Trust, the Pacific’s economic development agency, to upskill us.”
“Dad always told us that he always wanted the best for his children and was committed to making sure we all received an education while still being a part of the business,” John said.
“From the oldest to the youngest, Dad pushed them into the construction industry because he knew the potential of the industry.”
John’s siblings Sioeli Tonga (42), Kini Tuitufu (40), Tongaketi Tagi (35), Hanipale Tagi (34), Anna Tagi (33), Zainila Tagi (32), Mauga Tagi (31), Mele Tagi (30) have all worked for the company and continue to do so.
“Dad encouraged this brother to be a builder, this brother to be an electrician and another brother to be a truck driver, but when we were in school, all of us worked for All Rock & Stone during the holidays – including the sisters,” John said.
“They were treated the same as the men. We were all paid and taught how to manage money. We all had to contribute to the family and it taught us how to help the family.”
John completed his Masters in Architecture this year and now helps his father run the business full time.
Winning the Auckland International Airport contract is cause for celebration.
Lemeki and John attribute this success to the Pacific Commercial Trust – From accounting workshops to mentoring, they say the development agency has had a transformative impact on their business, contributing to their success in a competitive industry.
Source: New Zealand Herald
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