Kendrick Road

Roger Kendrick was a Marlborough trucking stalwart who pioneered the transportation of mussels and wine.

A Marlborough Boys College old boy, Roger died of cancer in April 2014, aged 69.

After his death, good mate and former employee, then boss, Murray Gibbons, approached the Marlborough District Council about naming a new Riverlands road after him.

In June 2014, Council's Environment Committee approved the naming of Kendrick Road in a new subdivision created by Wine Business Park Limited from a shortlist including Sauvignon Street, Riverlands Row and Kendrick Crescent.

Roger drove trucks in Hastings before buying Starborough Transport in Seddon (originally Awatere Transport). He then drove for Gills Transport and Riverlands Meat.

Roger's wife Sue told The Marlborough Express he was an entrepreneur who had a knack for finding market opportunities. When Salmon farming started in the Pelorus, he saw an opening to transport salmon feed to Crail Bay. For the farms in Queen Charlotte Sound, he delivered the smolt.

He then switched to TranzRail (now KiwiRail), which saw him take his first load of bulk wine and in the late 1990s RW Kendrick Ltd became involved with bulk wine cartage. Roger designed about six configurations of trailers to attach to the unit including a bulk wine bin and flat decks with small bins for the hand-picked grapes.

See a map of Street Name History