When Sharon Smith started cleaning the Christchurch Courts back in the early 1980s, she was a young mum juggling part-time evening shifts with raising a family. By the time her children were home from school, she’d be heading out to work. It was a system that worked for everyone – especially when money was tight.
“We didn’t have to pay for babysitters,” she says. “I’d work 6 to 9pm, and my husband would be home with the kids. Back then, the hours were shorter – two-and-a-half hours, sometimes even just an hour.”
Those hours stretched out over time. At ACC, Sharon took on more floors, more responsibility, and longer shifts – often working through till midnight. Eventually, she was managing the whole sixth floor by herself.
“I’ve just always worked on my own,” she says. “If there were no complaints, I was left to get on with it. And that suited me.”
Sharon’s tenure has outlasted contracts, customers, and even buildings. She was with ACC before and after the Christchurch earthquakes, spent time with Environment Canterbury and LINZ, and now works evenings at Corrections – supported by her colleague Louise. Of course, the site is cared for by ensuring the same high standards she’s always held.
“You keep your cleaning cupboard how you’d want to find it. That’s how I was trained – and that’s how I still work.”
Even now, that cupboard is still spotless. And her site? Still shining.
Quiet trust, earned over time
What’s kept her at OCS all these years?
“Well, I didn’t know anything else,” she says with a laugh. “But really, I’ve always had good supervisors and support when I needed it. They trusted me and left me to look after the building. I got to know the staff. You become part of the place.”
That sense of mutual respect has stayed constant. While the industry has shifted – fewer rubbish bins to empty and desks to clean, less contact time, and tighter budgets – Sharon’s always felt acknowledged by the people around her.
“They always say hello. Even when they change buildings, people come back and remember me. It makes a difference.”
She’s earned trust – quietly, without fuss, simply by showing up and doing the work to her own high standards. In many ways, she embodies one of the TRUE Values that keep OCS steady: Trust.
Still showing up
Now 69, Sharon continues to work five evenings a week – two hours per night – at Corrections. The hours suit her lifestyle and give her more time to spend with her growing whānau.
“I’m a great-grandmother now,” she says proudly. “And I’ve got another on the way.”
While Sharon admits she’s seen plenty of change – from safety protocols to evolving work practices – her own expectations haven’t wavered.
“We were brought up that unless you were in bed and couldn’t get out, you went to work.”
That consistency, that quiet commitment, is what makes her story worth sharing.
As OCS marks 125 years of facilities evolution, Sharon’s 44 years of impressive service to OCS and our customers shows that not all progress is about doing something new. Sometimes it’s about doing the same thing – properly, respectfully, and with care – year after year.
