In its 70th year, the Mataura Licensing Trust (MLT) has celebrated its second employee reaching a 40-year milestone with the company.
Howl at the Moon kitchen hand and prep chef Ngaire Cowan, 66, was rewarded by the trust for her four decades of hard work this week.
The Gore woman is the second worker to reach this milestone. Trust property manager Lyle Clement has now been with the company for 47 years.
Ms Cowan said she began working casual night shifts at the Croydon Lodge in 1985, when she still had young children to care for.
She worked at the lodge for two decades before moving to the also trust-owned pub in central Gore in 2007.
When asked about her time with the company, Ms Cowan said: "I’ve enjoyed it. They’ve treated me very very well".
She said the pub crew had a morning tea to commemorate the occasion with MLT president Horace McCauley and general manager Mark Paterson there to mark the occasion.
The long-time hospitality worker received a bouquet of flowers and a monetary gift for her loyal service.
Mr Paterson said the culture and good environment at the MLT was what kept staff around for decades.
The licensing trust will have its 70th birthday at the end of the year, by which time three more employees would have hit the 40-year mark, including himself and his accountant, Mr Paterson said.
Howl at the Moon chef Patricia Boyes has been with the MLT for 38 years.
"We've got a lot of longevity in our organisation and I would challenge any organisation around New Zealand to better our record," Mr Paterson said.
