About
Geoff Locke is the third generation in a family line of cabinetmakers stretching back 130 years. His grandfather was a cabinetmaker, his father Basil Locke was a cabinetmaker, and now Geoff continues that tradition from the workshop in Ruatangata.
The Locke family has been working with timber since the late 1800s. That kind of continuity doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from doing the work properly, treating people fairly, and standing behind what gets built.
Solid Timber, Solid Work
Most kitchens these days are flat-pack boxes with a veneer over particleboard. They look alright for a few years, then they start sagging and peeling. We don’t work that way.
Our focus is solid timber cabinetry and furniture built to last multiple generations. Real timber. Proper joinery. The kind of work your grandchildren will inherit and actually want to keep.
We’re not living in the past. Traditional techniques have their place because they’ve proven themselves over centuries. But we’ll also use modern methods and materials where they genuinely make sense. The key is knowing the difference between what’s better and what’s just cheaper.
Our Services
From our Ruatangata workshop, we handle all kinds of timber work for clients across Northland:
Kitchen Design & Build: We design and build custom kitchens that actually suit how you cook and live. From the first conversation through to installation, we’re involved in every step.
Custom Furniture: Tables, wardrobes, shelving, whatever you need. Built to your specifications and built to outlast the cheap imports.
Bathrooms & Ensuites: Vanities and cabinetry that can handle New Zealand’s humidity without falling apart. Still looking good in twenty years.
Staircases & Handrails: Architectural timber work that’s solid underfoot and becomes a feature of your home.
Doors & Windows: Solid timber joinery made to suit your property, not whatever was on special at the hardware store.
Furniture Restoration: Family pieces and antiques matter. We restore them properly, using whatever techniques the job needs. Sometimes that’s traditional methods, sometimes it’s modern technology. Either way, the piece gets treated with the respect it deserves.
Marine Cabinetry: We’re getting back into marine work. It’s demanding stuff, luxury vessels with exacting standards, but it’s in our background and we’re glad to be doing it again.
How We Operate
When you ring us, you’re talking to the people who’ll actually build your project. Not a sales team, not a call centre. Qualified master joiners who know the work inside out.
We’ll tell you straight what will work and what won’t. Sometimes that means talking you out of ideas that would make us more money but wouldn’t serve you well. That’s fine. We’d rather you get something practical that lasts than something flashy that disappoints.
Whether it’s a full kitchen or a single piece of furniture, it gets the same attention. We take time to understand what you actually need, then we build it right. No shortcuts, no compromises on materials or technique.
Why Work With Us
There aren’t many third-generation cabinetmakers left in New Zealand. Even fewer who still focus on solid timber and proper joinery.
If you want something built to last, something your family might still be using in fifty years, then we’re probably a good fit. If you’re after the cheapest possible quote, we’re probably not.
Geoff is a registered master joiner with more than a century of family knowledge backing him up. Every piece that leaves our workshop carries the Locke name, and we take that seriously.
Get In Touch
We’re based in Ruatangata and work throughout Northland. If you’ve got a project in mind, we’d like to hear about it. Get in touch and let’s have a chat about what you’re planning
