Lateshift owner/operator Craig Oakley chats to YOUR ex about managing his business through changing times and 35 years of providing a successful community service.
Tell us a bit about your background before you became involved in Lateshift.
After graduating from Victoria University, I moved to Auckland in 1985. I ran the suit department with Harry Howe at Saks in Newmarket, selling European designer labels.
Then worked in advertising and marketing as an account director with some of the biggest ad agencies in NZ. I then moved to re-join the security industry, working for both Securitas and Armourguard before opening Chameleon Designer Clothing at 374 K’Road. Throughout these years, I continued to work as a ‘leathersmith’ with my other trading entity, Leather HQ, supplying Lateshift and many other businesses with handcrafted leather products.
In the 35 years since it opened its doors, what has been the biggest evolution at Lateshift?
Lateshift opened just 3 years after homosexual law reform in NZ and was always jam packed with patrons, especially over the weekends.
Almost 25 years ago now, we moved from the much smaller original venue to the current location. All this means we remain both the largest and the oldest club for gay and bisexual men in NZ.
How has running a sex-on-site business changed in that time?
Everyone in business talks about “pre-COVID and post-COVID” turnover, and in NZ the stats show that over 30K small businesses have not survived. We are fortunate that our venue is still valued by new and long-term patrons. With our loyal customer base, some of whom have been with us from the beginning, and the increasing numbers of new patrons, we continue to get good numbers through the door to enjoy our safe and clean environment.
What are the biggest challenges to keeping a business like Lateshift thriving for another 35 years?
From the beginning, Lateshift has always been part business, part community service, so we are always open on Christmas Day evening and other times when the rest of NZ is shut tight because our people still need somewhere to go.
Our current collaboration with Body Positive has now been running since 1 March this year. This co-promotion encourages those guys out there who are sexually active to take greater personal responsibility for their own sexual wellbeing and get themselves regularly tested every 3 months. Dr Jenny Oliphant, the head of Auckland Sexual Health, has stats that show increased transmission of many preventable STI’s. Younger guys may have a more laissez-faire attitude, and Lateshift is instrumental in assisting to effect this change in perspective.
How have you seen your clientele change in those 35 years?
Certainly, technology has developed with great speed, as only 20+ years ago, mobile phones did not exist and PCs were new, expensive and slow to load. Now we all use mobile devices and cannot live without them. They provide a near-instant means of contact to arrange hook-ups, a function that used to be provided by Lateshift, but the need for a space where people can meet in a friendly and safe environment remains very much in demand. This drive to regularly meet up and socialise with friends in a safe space will ensure the continued constancy of the club as a fixture of the community for future years.
Do you have a message or anything you would like to say to the gay community on your 35th anniversary?
In order for us to continue to be the constant fixture we have been for the community all these years, we do need continued support.
Lateshift is located at Sub Level 1, 25 Dundonald Street, Eden Terrace, Auckland.
Lateshift is open seven days a week, including Saturdays from 7pm continuously for 22 hours til 5pm Sunday, and serves famous continental and full-cooked breakfasts. lateshift.co.nz
