Arizto’s Ashburton cowboy – Manu Otene

Self-made, focused, and always standing out in the crowd. These are the attributes that nicely sum up Manu Otene, Arizto Ashburton’s newest acquisition—the multi-talented, hat-wearing, flashy-shoe-rocking salesman.

Since joining the brand in September-October, Otene has already secured half a dozen sales in what is unquestionably a growth market in the heart of Canterbury.

And he has literally seen it grow, having had a varied and successful career across multiple professions—all from working his way up in each of them.

The father of two loves his adopted home, though his easy-going sense of humor shines through when asked whether Ashburton or Rotorua has the right to the contested ‘Vegas’ moniker.

“To tell you the truth, I’m from Invercargill, and our place was called ‘Inver-Vegas.’

“It was only when I moved up here that I started hearing ‘Ash-Vegas’ and ‘Roto-Vegas’—so I think Inver-Vegas has the win.”

Otene has witnessed Ashburton’s rapid expansion—from a rural support township to a thriving urban destination. 

In fact, he quite literally helped build the roads that have modernised the district, making travel times to Christchurch shorter and strengthening economic ties.

“I moved up here in 2000 after meeting a company from Ashburton while I was working in Alexandra doing bar work. 

“I was only doing maintenance, DJ work, and bar shifts at the time, and they said—‘what are you doing during the day? Want to come work with us?’

“So I gave it a go for a couple of months while they were working down there. 

“Then, when they headed back to Ashburton, they gave me a call and asked if I wanted to move up, and just like that I packed up and made the move.”

Settling in Ashburton with his partner and raising their locally-born kids, Otene continued to make himself indispensable with his work ethic and drive.

"When I was with ACL, I got my truck licenses, and after a while, I felt like I had learned everything I could in that role. 

“I wanted to keep growing and challenging myself, so I moved on. 

“I went into engineering for a while at Rakaia Engineering—just welding, building silos and dairy sheds, all over the South Island. 

“I had a work truck with all the tools, my own crew, and would organise trips away for up to three months. 

“But I was working away a lot, and there wasn’t much more room to develop, so I ended up going to the freezing works at ANZCO. I was there for about 14 years.”

Despite earning a six-figure salary for an average of 36 working hours a week, Otene eventually felt the need for a fresh challenge.

“A mate of mine had been there for 20 years, and he told me some mornings, he’d be holding a cup of coffee, and next thing—it just dropped. 

“His hand was so stuffed from holding the knife and hooks all day, or maybe from using blunt knives.

“I asked him, ‘what would you do after this?’ And he said, ‘aw, I don’t know, I’ve been in the meat industry for 30 years—this is all I know’.

“That stuck with me. I thought, ‘bugger that—the money’s not good enough to wreck my body’.

“Within a few months, I saw a job ad for real estate, and I thought, ‘this could be a bit of me’.

"I didn’t really start reading or writing until I had kids. They’d bring their homework home, and we’d learn together. 

“At five, my son would bring home spelling words and I’d have to ask him what most of them were. 

“But I took the risk—because if you don’t give it a go, how will you know?”

Otene quickly discovered that 90 per cent of real estate is about people—and all those years of coaching, volunteering, and being involved in the community were about to pay off.

“My kids went to a small school, so if I wanted them to play any sport, I had to coach. 

“Rippa rugby, netball—I did it all. I’d round up a few schools to come together to make one team.

“I was always coaching, refereeing, or helping out however I could. I was on the Board of Trustees and the fundraising committee.

"When I got into real estate, people just started calling me—‘you used to coach my friend’s kids,’ or ‘I’ve seen you on the field helping out.’ That’s how I started getting listings."

Otene’s style wasn’t the standard ‘real estate agent’ look.

"When I first started, it was a bit of a gamble for my boss—because I only had half a mo [moustache], and it was different every week. 

“I always wore a hat and, of course, flash shoes. Always had to have a good pair of shoes.

“At first, they wanted me to change—to be like everyone else. They thought I wouldn’t get listings. 

“I said, ‘how about this—if I don’t get any listings, I’ll think about changing.’ I didn’t want to be fake.

“If I’m in a line-up with 20 other agents, I don’t care if they don’t know my name. They’ll just say, ‘who’s that guy with the hat and the flash shoes’?”

That individuality—and his track record of success—is exactly what caught the attention of Arizto.

“Arizto had been trying to recruit me for a couple of years. 

“Camille [Countryman, Business Development Manager] kept calling from different numbers so I wouldn’t block her, but she finally got me at the right time.

“I looked into it, and I thought, ‘this seems a bit too easy’. But once I got into it? It was amazing.”

“At my old company, the paperwork was crazy. With Arizto, everything’s digital—I can be on a farm, write up a contract, and get it signed in ten minutes.”

Also, he found the concept of flat fees meant happy clients, and salespeople.

“Before, we charged anywhere from $20,000 to $33,000, plus admin and marketing fees. 

“Now? $12,500 + GST, all-inclusive.

“Before, the boss was taking 50-60%, plus franchise fees. Now, I’m earning more while charging clients less.”

He firmly believes the future is digital, and as part of group of four Arizto salespeople in the Mid-Canterbury, the results are showing.

"Arizto has definitely shaken up the town."

Is it finally time to make the switch? Contact Arizto today to discuss joining New Zealand’s expanding and exciting team!