John Roper
One of New Zealand’s paving entrepreneurs, John Roper started off as a paving contractor more than 50 years ago and built the company to one of the largest paving installation operations in the country. A man ahead of his time, John made sure Horizon International lived up to its name. In the early 1980s, he opened the first wholly owned foreign enterprise in China and, subsequently, expanded to Malaysia. Soon after, he returned to New Zealand and imported pavers.
Keen to provide more jobs locally, John later decided to bring paver production back to New Zealand and now operates several factories in the Greater Wellington Region.
A recent key development for his company is the purchase of an Italian 6 stage 750T hydraulic press and the commissioning of a dedicated factory to house it. Upon completion, Horizon will have one of the most sophisticated paving manufacturing facilities in Australasia.
Throughout its history, Horizon has remained committed to supporting RML.
John says that over the 55-plus years Horizon has been in business, the family-run company has always looked to support the landscaping industry, not only by providing innovative product but by sponsoring Landscapes of Distinction and other events.
More broadly, he wanted to help strengthen the RML as an organisation, believing that a professional, highly skilled landscaping sector is of key importance. RML serves that function by providing a platform for members to showcase their capabilities and giving customers assurance that they are dealing with businesses which have the appropriate level of knowledge and expertise.
Jon Muller
Teacher. Writer. Entrepreneur. Jon Muller has done it all and remained interested in plants his whole life. As a teenager, he built a greenhouse to grow his own plants. Then he worked in forestry, studied botany, completed a national diploma in horticulture (with a thesis on potting mix), and spent his formative years working in horticulture for Wellington Council.
After several years, Jon left to work in a nursery in Auckland, before returning to Wellington to teach alongside David Clayton Greene (from GCG Landscapes) at Wellington Polytech.
He also started his own landscaping business, Wellington Gardens, which has been running for 24 years, and has authored six books, including the capital’s gardening bible Wellington Gardens. Jon is a valued and regular contributor to NZ Landscaper Magazine.
“I enjoy sharing the knowledge I’ve gained over the years with the next generation; something that aligns well with Registered Master Landscapers’ ethos of encouraging young landscapers to push themselves via the Young Landscaper of the Year competition, which is one of the reasons I’ve been a dedicated member for such a long time.”
Naturally, a landscaper with Jon’s experience has some advice for the next generation.
“You have to learn when to say ‘this isn’t working’ and walk away from a job – even if you’re hard up for work. Make sure to trust your gut!”