The Star: July 27, 2017
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3 I NEW DIRECTIONS<br />
A new career after 50<br />
Alistair Hazeldine<br />
industry. I loved the interaction with my 40<br />
staff, their customers and the suppliers that<br />
help a business function, but towards the end<br />
I felt that it had become repetitive. To put it<br />
this way, I felt like I was someone who loved<br />
climbing mountains, but that I had climbed<br />
every mountain numerous times and therefore<br />
it had lost some of its challenge.<br />
After taking six months away from work,<br />
I undertook a computer course at ARA as a<br />
step towards getting back into the discipline<br />
of getting up early (attending the 8am course)<br />
and being committed to achieving something<br />
worthwhile. (I would recommend this to<br />
anyone). Computer knowledge is essential and<br />
without it, your confidence will suffer.<br />
I chose real estate as my new career as it<br />
allowed me to continue to meet people and<br />
most importantly for me, to assist them in<br />
making decisions and being a part of things<br />
that affect their lifestyle. I selected Harcourts<br />
Grenadier as the company I wished to work<br />
with due to their outstanding reputation in the<br />
market and the strong brand values they stand<br />
for. I felt that with starting a new career, it was<br />
significant to select a company that had a high<br />
market presence and one that had moral values<br />
I could relate to. Selling real estate is different<br />
from selling motor vehicles, as with motor<br />
vehicles stock was easier to obtain, whereas in<br />
real estate it’s all about getting something to<br />
sell, i.e. a listing.<br />
What have been the challenges,<br />
the impact on your family and<br />
your lifestyle, and what have<br />
been the rewards?<br />
I have to say that the earthquakes affected<br />
my ability to function in unexpected ways. Our<br />
family home in Sumner became unlivable, as it<br />
was hit by a boulder, and we were ‘white zoned’<br />
for nearly three years, meaning that life seemed<br />
to stand still. This is still very hard to describe,<br />
but if there has been a benefit, it is that I have<br />
a deeper understanding of the value of family<br />
and especially the loving support of my wife.<br />
Everyone’s circumstances and experiences due<br />
to the earthquakes are unique and I am grateful<br />
that for us, things could have been worse.<br />
Coming from a senior position in an industry<br />
that I knew ‘inside out’ and starting fresh is<br />
challenging. It feels awkward to find yourself<br />
asking a lot of questions (and there is a lot<br />
to learn), where once you were the person<br />
giving the answers. That said, you are the only<br />
one feeling this way so you have to put these<br />
feelings aside.<br />
Real estate involves weekend work but this<br />
hasn’t affected my voluntary role with the<br />
Canterbury Rugby Football Union as a grade<br />
advisor for under-8 rugby, as this occupies<br />
Saturday mornings, leaving the afternoons free<br />
for open homes. My wife loves biking and we<br />
are often away at the same time, and with<br />
all of our five children having grown up and<br />
left home, my responsibilities as a father have<br />
changed slightly and I don’t need to be at home<br />
as often as I did when the kids were younger.<br />
What advice would you give<br />
anyone thinking about changing<br />
career after the age of 50?<br />
Remember that you are in control of your<br />
destiny and that changing a career at any age<br />
will ‘throw up’ concerns, but you must firmly<br />
believe that ‘anything is possible’ if you truly<br />
want it.<br />
Go for it, and remember there’s no prize for<br />
staying in a job or role when it’s not inspiring<br />
you. This will naturally be different from<br />
person to person, but in my case, I need to be<br />
challenged.<br />
Redundancy, a move to a new town, or just<br />
the desire for a new direction can mean a<br />
change of career in middle age and beyond,<br />
which can be both daunting and exciting.<br />
Forward 50 talks to Alistair Hazeldine, who was<br />
57 when he decided to make the move from<br />
vehicle sales to real estate, about why he did it,<br />
and how it has changed his life.<br />
Are you from Christchurch?<br />
Although I have lived in several parts of New<br />
Zealand, Christchurch is home and it is exciting<br />
to see the improvements around the city as the<br />
rebuild continues.<br />
What work were you involved in<br />
previously and for how long?<br />
I had been in the motor industry since<br />
PHONE 354 5616<br />
108 Sawyers Arms Rd, Papanui, Christchurch<br />
leaving high school and working in Christchurch<br />
for the same company for 34 years – in vehicle<br />
sales for seven years, sales management for 11<br />
years and dealer principal for the last 15 years.<br />
In that time I had seen and participated in a<br />
wide variety of changes and always understood<br />
that adaptability is a key to keeping ahead. I<br />
always wish to maintain an open mind and<br />
accept change as inevitable and believe that you<br />
are better to go with change than waste a lot<br />
of energy trying to object to it. Good times<br />
don’t last, but nor do bad times either, and if<br />
you keep moving forward and don’t dwell on<br />
anything for too long, it’s best.<br />
Why did you decide to take up<br />
a new career, and why did you<br />
choose real estate?<br />
I really enjoyed my time in the motor<br />
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