Steve Gould is the first to admit he is not a petrol-head.
But he reckons that is probably an advantage in his role as customers general manager at the Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds.
For he barely turns his head when passed by the latest model car — prior to production — high on the Pisa Range, above the Cardrona Valley.
SHPG, the only operation of its kind in the southern hemisphere, is a world leader in winter testing facilities for automotive, component and tyre manufacturers.
Covering about 400ha of land, the facility operates very much under the radar of the general public — many Wanaka locals do not even know it exists — yet injects millions of dollars into the local economy.
The 2022 season recently drew to a close after the busy operational winter months. It was a bumper season; Mother Nature delivered and some customers, who traditionally test during the night to ensure a super-cold test, were testing during the day. They left, Mr Gould said, with big smiles on their faces.
Looking ahead, Mr Gould said SHPG was in a "really sweet spot" in the industry. Traditionally, the companies that came created their own research and development; it was all internally driven by what they thought they could sell to the market.
But now there were so many external factors, whether that was safety ratings, emissions or electric vehicles dictating what they had to develop.
The industry was under "so much pressure to clean itself up" and governments were mandating deadlines.
Whether for electric vehicles or safety systems, testing was needed in a winter environment and SHPG was "on a wave at the moment". Already it had about half a dozen inquiries for next year.
Mr Gould was in Europe in late June at a trade show and he said the reception SHPG got from companies was "absolutely insane".
Typically, European customers booked every few years — "this time, they were saying if we don’t see you next year then 2023 or 2024" — and all markets were looking strong.
It was back in the 1980s when Cardrona Valley entrepreneur John Lee first received a call from Dunlop New Zealand, on behalf of Japanese company Sumitomo, looking for a suitable site for testing tyres in the snow.
Mr Gould said a lot of credit needed to go to Mr Lee for his foresight. The business had continued to evolve as the industry evolved.
In 2005, the business was sold to a group of Christchurch-based businessmen, and it was now solely owned by Canterbury businessman George Gould.
Steve Gould grew up in Dunedin and completed degrees in physical education and commerce at the University of Otago.
Growing up, he had no idea what he wanted as a career. He did have a strong interest in sport and something around sports marketing, or in the professional sporting space, did appeal.
He and his then partner and now wife — Olympian triathlete Nicky Samuels — moved to Wanaka after finishing their university studies.
He thought there might be a job at the likes of a bike shop and then discovered a job was going at SHPG, which he had never heard of.
But it was based in the mountains and seemed interesting and, after talking with his father about it, he decided the experience of a corporate-level interview would at least be beneficial. Managing the lodge was his first job.
The plan at that stage was for the couple to stay in Wanaka for a year and go travelling. That never quite eventuated and the couple continue to live there, now with their three young children.
As the Global Financial Crisis kicked off about the same time, the business looked at how it could diversify.
The chief executive at the time, Glenn Wedlock, had been in Scandinavia and suggested SHPG diversify into ice-driving, which had since "morphed majorly".
SHPG then bought nearby Snow Park, which was established by the Lee family in 2002 to cater for freestyle skiers and snowboarders, and it was now the ice-driving centre.
Fast-forward to the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and it "put the brakes on" the business.
Mr Gould said he vividly remembered flying back from a trade show in India in March that year, writing his notes in the plane for the 2020 season and wondering how they were going to fit all their customers in. At that stage, bookings were moving towards capacity.
Arriving at Changi Airport in Singapore, he wondered where everyone was — "it was like tumbleweeds in the terminal" — and he discovered they were all at the pharmacy. About 600 people were in a queue getting face masks.
Two weeks later, the border closed and, for that winter season, SHPG had one customer in, instead of the usual 20 or 30.
Its message was clear to customers — it would be open if they could get to New Zealand — for none of the development stopped because of Covid-19, nor were emissions goals shifted, he said.
Mr Gould acknowledged the good support from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
Last year, they got about 12 customers — about 50% of a regular year — and were "pleasantly surprised" by that.
It reinforced that customers were willing to go through the substantial paperwork required to get into the country and get to Cardrona. For it was R&D development and it was time-critical.
This year’s winter season involved about 60 staff, which included a mix of local contractors. In 2020, just six did the season.
SHPG had a good relationship with some agricultural contractors, who made silage and hay in summer and snow in winter.
In low-snow years, the facility made a lot of snow. "For lack of a better word, we just farm it," Mr Gould said.
Unlike a skifield, where it did not matter where snow landed, it had to be much more specific, and machinery was used to take it where it was needed.
Safety, security, confidentiality, efficiency and customer service is SHPG’s ethos; the 17 test areas ensured confidentiality and security for their users.
Security fencing and barrier arms had been installed and a security company was hired for the duration of the season.
There had also been a lot of investment in health and safety in the past couple of years, and this year SHPG had contracted St John to provide 24/7 ambulance and paramedic services for operations, showing how seriously it took the matter.
Customers coming to SHPG created an estimated 10,500 to 12,500 bed nights in Wanaka, Queenstown and the surrounding area each year.
The business had good relationships with accommodation providers and it was also grateful for the wider community support, and strove to support local businesses.
At times, when a customer had the likes of a "broken whatever" and there was not the equipment to fix it at SHPG, a local would be phoned, often completing the task in secret, after-hours.
"Everybody has some way they are connected to it, whether they know it or not," Mr Gould said.
There were big benefits for the area as engineers often stayed for an extended period after their work was finished, travelling around and spending money.
One company even sent out mountain bikes with its vehicles for its engineers to use in their off-time.
"It’s really unique, you get this ‘life’ the engineers can have — they don’t get when winter testing anywhere else".
While there were many proving grounds in the northern hemisphere, none provided what SHPG and the wider area offered.
It might mean working in Alaska or Sweden, in -30degC conditions, staying in one hotel for six weeks.
Mr Gould said many things had changed in the years he had been with the business; walk into a workshop in the earlier days and it was usually older engineers, changing suspension systems in their stonewashed jeans.
Now walk in, and it was more like walking into a university lecture room, given the amount of computer-driven software, particularly for electric vehicles.
The first question SHPG now got asked was what its charging capabilities were, not how big the snow flats were.
With four different charging protocols, that provided a challenge, although a lot of customers were now bringing their own.
The wave of electric vehicles that was coming had generated a lot of excitement about "what’s the new whatever going to be like?".
The cars that came to SHPG were "basically finished"; tuning the software systems in a slippery environment was the "last piece of the puzzle".
For Mr Gould, who minored in information technology, that was particularly interesting.
"It’s a device on wheels," he said.
Once the operational season was over, he followed the global R&D trade shows. Next month, he was heading to the United States, spending a week each in San Francisco and Michigan.
In November, he was off to Japan, while late January-early February oscillated between Korea or India.
At those shows, he worked closely with customers to make sure SHPG was providing what they needed. With many enjoying the experience of coming to New Zealand, he quipped SHPG could "almost be an arm of Tourism New Zealand at some of the trade shows".
While many of his friends, of a similar age, were now on their second or third employers, Mr Gould said he enjoyed how no year at SHPG was ever the same.
The customer mix was different and the weather was varied. As so many local seasonal staff were hired, the mix of people on-site was also different, and they all worked together to achieve a common goal.
Coupled with the way the industry was evolving and "it kind of hooks you in a little bit", he said.
