Steph and Rick Stevens
This is a story about a boy from Atlanta who met a California girl in the Caribbean. And, after applying for a job in Waimate thinking it was Sydney - ended up building multiple businesses here. Where spiders are smaller and wallabies are a pest, not a national treasure.
In this Imports interview, you get two for the price of one. From island adventures to big city careers to building businesses in South Canterbury, here’s how they chose this place to make their next impact - and call it home.
Rick and Steph Stevens at the Waimate Kitchen and Bar
Two worlds collide in the Virgin Islands
Rick grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. Suburban by American standards - still a very different situation from small-town New Zealand, he says.
“I left university with a degree in German and International Relations, plus an education minor. After owning and managing a bar for a while, I still wasn’t quite ready to grow up, so I decided to head to the Caribbean for a new adventure and ended up in the Virgin Islands.”
Steph had also just graduated, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Architecture. She too decided to take a break before settling into a career - and also landed in the Virgin Islands.
That’s where their paths crossed and they got married.
They were both keen on travel and new experiences, and with Steph’s mum Chris being a Kiwi, New Zealand became the next destination.
The Christchurch years
They settled in Christchurch, welcomed children Rhys and Savannah, and called it home for 15 years.
It was also where they built careers that would later shape what they went on to create in Waimate.
Steph ended up travelling the world in her role.
“My first job was in a furniture store on St Asaph Street, but the real highlights of my career were working as assistant to the head designer for the hospitality precinct SOL Square, followed by eight years at Ballantynes. I started there as a sales assistant and worked my way up to a head buyer role across several departments.
‘It was a position that came with a great deal of pressure, but I was incredibly grateful for the opportunities it provided, and the chance to travel the world was an added bonus.”
Rick initially thought he would return to his dream of working in education, but instead he found himself managing one of the city’s most iconic bars and eateries, Sticky Fingers on The Strip. He later went on to manage multiple hospitality venues in SOL Square, which eventually came to a devastating end as a result of the Christchurch earthquakes.
In the wake of the quakes, he helped bring hospitality back to the heart of the city, managing Stranges Lane, the first multi-venue eatery precinct to reopen. When it was later sold, and with Christchurch’s growth still unpredictable, he decided it was time to look further afield - this time to Sydney.
At the time, Steph was working in a marketing and sales role for New Zealand bedding company M.M Linen. The move to Sydney was appealing, but it meant finding a new job. Still, she was excited by the idea of once again living in a vibrant, bustling city.
Why mate in Sydney
Rick started his job search online and one job ad caught his eye.
It was for a role to develop and manage a new eatery in an historic hotel - it looked interesting enough so he dialled the number.
That’s when he learnt two things.
First, it was pronounced Waimate, not “Why-mate.”
Second, it wasn’t in Sydney.
When he arrived in Waimate for his interview, he had no real intention to take the job. Work on the old Waimate Hotel had started. It had been gutted and was just a shell with a staircase and no floor. But still, he thought it was a “cool building” with a lot of potential.
Then he met Gary Rooney - and the meeting lasted three hours.
Once he realised the role wasn’t just about opening a hotel, but about helping shape something bigger in the community, he was keen.
Now he just had to convince the rest of the family!
They won’t share Steph’s exact response when Rick suggested they reconsider Sydney and move to Waimate instead.
But clearly, it wasn’t a no.
The Waimate Bakery. Part of the daily routine for many locals - and a must-stop for visitors passing through.
Backing themselves - and the district
They found a house they loved, the kids settled in and they all made great friends. With Gary’s backing (who Rick describes as “a great guy, very humble”) they threw themselves into setting up businesses that not only provide a living but add a lot to the town as well.
The Waimate Kitchen and Bar came first, followed by The Waimate Bakery and The Waimate Lodges. All three are thriving.
Steph’s own recycled fashion boutique, Rewind, has become a destination shop, known for great finds and zero fast-fashion guilt. As a former Ballantynes buyer, she now brings those buying and curating skills to Waimate.
Rick laughs when he recalls an early memory, an elderly woman peered through the hotel windows during renovations, shook her head and muttered, “It will never work,” before walking off.
Plenty of finds on the racks at Rewind, Steph’s curated recycled fashion boutique.
From the USA to the WDC
Rick is now serving his second term as a Waimate District Councillor and even put his name forward for mayor at the last election. He says he ran for council because he’s invested in the community and saw it as a way to give back.
They point out that each move in their lives has taken them somewhere smaller. When Rick left Atlanta, a billboard proudly announced a population of 4.5 million. When they arrived in New Zealand, that was the population of the entire country.
Waimate, they both agree, is as small as they’ll go.
Let’s hope these Waimos stick around, they’ve achieved a lot in a small space of time, and we’re looking forward to seeing what’s next.
