About Us
McDonnells Tree Trim prides itself on the variety of jobs it can handle, the terrain it can access and the repeat work that keeps it busy year after year. It was purchased for being a successful, rural-based, community business with a quality reputation, good systems, solid client base and technical advantage.
In 2021, the McDonnell family passed the business over to the care of the current owners, Clint and Kelly Hatherell. With the same professional service, three truck-based trimmers and its experienced team, Clint and Kelly have preserved the expertise and knowledge gained by the McDonnells over all those years.
Clint Hatherell was born and raised on the West Coast of the South Island, he has enjoyed many years of sport and extensive travel, where he met his wife and business partner Kelly. Clint worked in road construction, building and drain laying before completing a 20-year career in the NZ Police. Clint enjoys a challenge – in his spare time he is mostly outdoors, hunting, fishing, and going on sports and travel adventures with his family and three teenage children.
Kelly Hatherell was raised in Kaiapoi, has travelled extensively overseas, and has an administrative background in industries including travel, hospitality, health and real estate. Kelly enjoys the outdoors, hiking, gardens, keeping fit, travel and family time.
History
McDonnells Tree Trim has been operating for over 30 years. What started with Jonno McDonnell, his Echo chainsaw and fuel cans in the back seat of his Hillman Hunter, has evolved into a well-established, organised shelter belt maintenance company with years of experience behind it.
Early on Jonno bought Mainpower’s old Bedford bucket truck and took the boys, and various others out to help top shelter belts, fell trees and clear power lines. Always wanting to get a lot done in a hurry, it wasn't long before he wanted some sort of specialised machine to get these tree lines knocked into shape a better way. A tree-trimming machine was built atop a Ford County. Slashers and saws, flails and multi-saw heads all came and went through various trials and errors.
Today, the top-class engineering and design features have developed the trimmers into a technical advantage which has meant further reach and capabilities giving McDonnell’s Tree Trim a competitive edge.
