The Country 10/09/26: Matt Gray talks to Jamie Mackay

We talk about some great Isuzu deals with a true-blue Southlander. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
We are off to God's own farming province, Southland. There
we find Matt Gray. He's the local Isuzu guy down there. Hey, Matt,
you've got a really interesting backstory for a young bloke,
born and bred Southlander, but you've travelled a long road
to get back down to Southland. Tell me a wee
bit about your background, because this is fascinating.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
I have, I have.

Speaker 3 (00:23):
I left high school, got a jib-stopping trade behind me
in Queenstown.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
I spent five or six.

Speaker 3 (00:29):
Years there working and then went over to Otago University,
did a commerce degree in tourism.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
And then a master's in entrepreneurship. And then part of that,
or at the end of that, while.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
I was doing my thesis, I went up to Auckland
and did a living internship with the Venn Foundation, which
is a sort of a public policy think tank with
a bit of a Christian perspective. And then From that,
part of that was a work experience. I ended up
doing mine with Tupuanga Coffee in Auckland, which is a
Tongan coffee company, a bit of a social enterprise where

(01:04):
they sell the roasted bean in Auckland that they've brought
off the factory in Tonga, and then the money raised
from that funds a youth mentoring program in South Auckland
for Pacific youth. So really enjoyed that, but wanted to
get more into the sales side of things, so I
left there and went door-knocking for charities around the North
Island for a year, which was an eye-opening experience and

(01:28):
gave me some great first-hand sales experience.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
And then after that, I started at Honda.

Speaker 3 (01:34):
In Newmarket in Auckland in the used car department, cut
my teeth there, and then, yeah, came back down to
Southlands and took up the role at Southland Vehicle Sales.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
Gee, you've squeezed a lot into a few years. Well done. Hey, Matt,
you've found your way back down to Southland. As I said,
you were born and bred Southlander like myself. You're now
selling Isuzu's, the D-Max's and the MUX's at Southland Vehicle Sales.
Do you like that?

Speaker 2 (02:02):
Oh, absolutely. I love it. I find it very easy
to sell a product when I believe in the product.
And Isuzu has shown me time and time.

Speaker 3 (02:11):
Again they're a great, reliable truck, built well, built to
work and do the job that they were designed for. And, yeah,
just I really enjoy the culture and the people we
get to meet, and, yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:25):
We talked about this one on yesterday's show. You can
now get a D-Max. This is a promotional offer out
on the market at the moment for under $ 56, 000. You
get with that a six-year warranty. You've got a three-litre
turbo diesel. They do go like a cut cat because
they're the same motor as the MUX. And, of course,
you've got a three-and-a-half-tonne towing capacity.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
Yeah, that's absolutely correct. It's a great deal.

Speaker 3 (02:49):
There's a few more savings going up the chain as
well in the model range.

Speaker 2 (02:54):
So, yeah, it's been really good and very popular.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
Matt Gray out of Southland Vehicle Sales down there in Southland. Hey,
thanks for giving us some of your time today. What
a great story you've got. Go in and see your
local Isuzu dealer around the country for a great deal.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Thanks, Jamie. Appreciate it.