about us

From a young age, Phil West always wanted to be a dairy farmer. So as soon as he could, he left school to go work on a local farm in Matamata.

After a few years, life took him in another direction, he passed his class 5 licence and started truck driving. Even though he thoroughly enjoyed driving all over New Zealand, missing out on family time took it's toll, so he hung up the keys and headed back to the dairy farming industry, but with a different take. 

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After spending the last 9 years working for Centigrade in Matamata, Phil decided it was time to chase his dream of owning his own family business, which lead to the making of Compass Refrigeration.

Phil has 4 adult children and lives with his wife Rachel, a couple of his kids and his grandaughter in Matamata. In his spare time, he enjoys playing his bass guitar and navigating the sound desk at the local Country Music Club. When the weather permits, he also enjoys taking his boat out for a water ski or a fishing getaway with Rachel.