Pip Bruce

Pip Bruce

Pip has lived in Nelson for almost 20 years now. She is originally from Gore in Southland and enjoyed its proximity to Queenstown, where she loved to go skiing and ice skating.  She says that living in Gore did have some compensation after all! This is not to say she didn’t relish the opportunity to move to Nelson for a better climate.
Pip has always been interested in, and thoroughly enjoys, finance and figures, which meant that banking was a natural choice for her.  She is in no doubt that this choice of occupation has stood her in good stead.  Once settled in Nelson, Pip joined Westpac as a Lending Consultant, and stayed for 16 years.  She was involved primarily with lending and establishing credit facilities for personal and small business use. 
After her long stint at Westpac, she decided a change was necessary and  joined Barbican in 2005.  She enjoys the variety of work each day with the Barbican Training Centre, as well as the fantastic students she meets.
Pip is also a small business owner, along with husband Michael .  They are  involved in the local forestry industry, and run a silviculture crew.  Michael also tutors forestry training courses around New Zealand.  They also are part of a joint forestry venture on D’Urville Island.  As the owner of a small business and with her Westpac experience, she adds a wealth of experience and skills to the Barbican Training Centre.
After family, Pip's top four loves are travel, food, wine, and shopping.  She loves to plan their annual winter escapes.  Now that her teenage children are leaving the nest, Pip has plenty of destinations in mind.
Pip has been part of the office team at Barbican for four years and is responsible for contract management, assessments and administration, and the paper war that goes with it.  She enjoys getting to know the students and seeing their confidence and businesses flourish, as well as keeping everyone else in the office and tutors in order - not an easy task at times!