Listy Shabu. Worth Her Weight in Gold
“What do you like about this job?” I asked Listy. “The team. Tim is more than a boss. He is approachable and flexible. Our team functions well because of this. They are great to work with”. Listy’s boss is Tim Martin who owns Circus Cinema. She, with the friendly personality and lovely smile, is Restaurant Manager. Hers is an interesting journey to Martinborough.
Listy Maria Shabu was born in Kerala State in the city of Kottayam in Southern India. She is the youngest of three sisters. Following her schooling, Listy studied accountancy gaining a master’s degree. A chartered accountant, she is a member of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants.
In 2016, her eldest sister came to New Zealand on a student visa doing post graduate study. She loved New Zealand so much she brought her husband out on a partnership visa. Her middle sister, husband and her parents were persuaded to join them too.
Listy remained in India. This was her choice “Indian families live together. My parents, sisters and their husbands were all living in a large house in Christchurch. One of my sister’s soon had two children. I wanted to be independent”.
Listy came to visit her family on a three-month visitor visa. Like the rest of her family, she fell in love with New Zealand and decided to stay. She had hoped to study at Canterbury University for a PhD. This did not eventuate, so the next step was to find a job. Listy was high on the list of required occupations. Job applications were successful but none of the companies were accredited employers as required by Immigration. She decided to look outside accountancy.
“I’d had experience in the hospitality industry in India. I saw the position of Restaurant Manager for Circus Cinema. The owner was an accredited employer. I had no idea where Martinborough was. I thought I would give it a go. I was interviewed by Tim by telephone. At the end of it he said the job was mine if I wanted it”. That was September 2023. Listy has a range of responsibilities apart from managing the restaurant. She is involved in website management, doing the accounts, event management and social media.
Listy has a range of responsibilities apart from managing the restaurant. She is involved in website management, doing the accounts, event management and social media.
Over this Christmas break, Listy returned to India to marry; this was a union brokered by her older sister who found an eligible husband for her among her ex-college friends and they clicked. Hers was a traditional western-style marriage being Catholic while her husband is an Indian Syrian Christian. He is with her in Martinborough and works remotely for a company in Dubai.
Listy now has a resident’s visa which allows her to work for unaccredited employers. She is reluctant to move “I have freedom to innovate in this job. I love it and the team”. A more capable and pleasant front-of-house person would be difficult to find. Stay awhile Listy.
