Hanson has become a household name in the South with its successful vehicle rental business, but the next chapter of the company starts in Cromwell.

The family business was created by Jarrod and Colin Hanson in Dunedin 28 years ago, targeting the self house moving market. Jarrod came back from overseas in the late 1990s and teamed up with his father - then he and his wife Anita opened another branch in Cromwell six years ago.

But the original Hanson business in Dunedin sold last month, and Jarrod and Anita have embarked on an ambitious rebrand - Driven Rental Vehicles - here in Central Otago.

What was once just a single truck for hire, turned into 90 vehicles of all shapes and sizes, trucks, cargo vans, minibuses, trailers, double cab utes, and cars. 

Driven Rental Vehicles has built up its own fleet of 53 based in Cromwell. Nowadays you can literally turn up at 3am if you need to and collect a vehicle - with its contactless collection as a result of Covid-19.

Jarrod said they get a few female pillion passengers who’ve had enough rough riding on motorbike tours and are keen on an upgrade of transport for a day.

And campervan owners who haven’t used their vehicle for a year, which then break down half way up the Lindis Pass.

There’s also Little Flick the fire engine for hire too (it was moved to Cromwell from Dunedin); it gets hired out for kids’ parties and fundraisers.

“They are all real fire engines from Japan,” Jarrod said.

Driven Rental Vehicles has a number of vehicles on long-term hire, such as infrastructure or cherry industry companies, trucks for laundry services, councils, government ministries.

Being a ‘dry hire’ business means they will look after all of the tyres, windscreens and general maintenance of the vehicles.

“We have vehicles that are out for years. Rather than spend upwards of $70,000 on a new ute you can rent one for half the price. Think of it like Netflix,” he said.  

“We have people that don’t want to own a vehicle and think about the servicing, the insurance, the registration.”

They have the market sewn up, but when the pandemic hit, like many businesses relying on tourism, it took a huge blow - significantly reducing its income overnight.

“It put us back 10 years,” Jarrod said.

But advances have been made in other areas such as the 24/7 contactless collection, with vehicles now available around the clock.

With the business moving more into the corporate and commercial sectors of Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago, such as hiring out vans to couriers when their vans are being serviced, you would think the company would just keep on growing.

“The business changes day by day, minute by minute. We’re solutions driven to make an easier, simpler and cheaper alternative. There’s no point overselling something or they won’t come back.”  

A comment on the business Facebook page after the Hanson business was sold sums it: “Thanks for riding with us — we’re still the same crew, just a bit more Driven.”

Jarrod bought a building in Cromwell (Hughes Crescent) in the early 2000s and expanded the rental vehicle business into Cromwell in February 2019. 

The Driven brand was already registered 20 years ago, and had been sitting in the background, with the logo all pre-made as well.

When they’re not running the business, Jarrod and Anita also foster dogs as part of The Animal Welfare Network, and are one of the biggest in the country. In the past 18 months they’ve looked after 14 dogs from all around New Zealand.

Many have been surrendered, abandoned, given up, or abused.

The rehabilitation involved toilet training and desensitising so the dogs can then be rehomed into the community.

“Dogs know good people. It’s a big mission but it’s good fun. It’s not easy but it’s very rewarding,” Jarrod said.

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