In 1941 William "Pen" Pengelly used one hundred and twenty pounds of his savings to put a deposit on a second hand Chevrolet truck, effectively launching the Pengelly Group’s interest in Transport.
Operating from home Pen joined the carriers rank at the Auckland wharf to vie for cargo as it became available. During the next twenty years, he built up a business to include a dozen vehicles and moved his operations to a warehouse facility in Parnell, just a stone's throw away from the waterfront which to this day services many of the Group's valued clients.
Joined by his sons, Trevor and Warren in the mid-1960’s the company consolidated and expanded through the export boom of the 1960s and the dramas of industry deregulation of the 1970s and 1980s.
In the early 1970’s Pengelly’s offered Customs Brokerage and Freight Forwarding as new services, followed by Travel in 1981. In 1984 the company expanded into Wellington and Christchurch, enabling the Group to offer "all port services" to major trading companies throughout New Zealand.
Recognising the importance of the Australian market, Pengelly’s purchased International Trade Management (ITM) in 1992. Established in 1896 ITM offered Customs Broker / Freight Forwarder services in Sydney and Melbourne. Under the new ownership, ITM has branched out into new territories with the opening of an office in Brisbane in 1996, in Adelaide in 2003, and most recently in Perth in 2010. Today a team of 200 experienced professionals complements the full spectrum of Pengelly's services.
Thanks to the vision of Pen, the drive and dedication of Warren and Trevor, the continued commitment to service by qualified staff, and the backing of a loyal and satisfied client base, Pengelly's has grown to be a formidable force in the New Zealand and Australian transport markets
From humble beginnings over seventy years ago, today the Pengelly's Group of Companies is located in two countries with ten offices, two hundred staff, and twelve service divisions.