When Keith Butler opened City Centre Motors on April 27, 1976, Porirua roads were filled with chrome, carburettors and classic cars. His vision was simple: provide local drivers with a mechanic they could truly trust.
Fifty years later, the workshop remains one of the region’s longest-serving businesses, even older than the local McDonald’s. While Porirua has grown and changed around it, City Centre Motors has remained a constant for generations of local families.
The business first operated on Lyttelton Ave before moving to its current site in 1981. More than four decades later, it is still serving customers from the same location in the city centre.
In the late 1980s, the workshop expanded into brake and clutch specialisation, investing in machinery to reface brake rotors, drums and flywheels in-house. It also became a trusted source for parts and specialist repairs.
Today, City Centre Motors remains one of the few workshops with the expertise to custom-manufacture brake and clutch pipes and hoses.
The family connection deepened in the 1990s when Ants completed his apprenticeship at the workshop. Mike joined the team in 2005, and in November 2010 the brothers officially purchased the business from their father.
Under their leadership, the workshop expanded in 2014, doubling its floor space and increasing its brake and clutch parts inventory to keep pace with growing demand.
Today, the team includes Mike, Ants, Andy, Allan, Dan, Shavin and Wendy, bringing more than 150 years of combined experience in the motor industry both locally and abroad.
The workshop services all makes and models, from traditional petrol and diesel vehicles to hybrids and EVs, with qualified electric vehicle technicians on staff.
Keith officially retired in 2010, but his heart never really left the workshop. He returned part-time to work alongside his sons for several years. Sadly, he died in 2025 after a long battle with cancer.
As City Centre Motors celebrates its 50th anniversary, the milestone stands as a tribute to Keith’s hard work, character and commitment to the Porirua community.
The team thanked customers for their support over the past half-century and said it had been a privilege to help keep Porirua moving.
