“I love art, all that sort of stuff, and barbering is like a type of art. So I decided to be a barber, and then I realised that what comes with barbering is speaking to people every day.”
He described attending barbering school as “saving myself”.
He worked in barbershops across the Bay of Plenty, but couldn’t find a place he “belonged”.
“I was working in this exact barbershop that I own now, sweeping the floors at 14, and when I was working here at 17, the shop went under.”
He started giving cuts from a cabin on Ngatai Rd in Otūmoetai and building a following.
Two years ago, he bought the old shop space from the previous owners for “bugger all” and opened Barber Spence & Co.
Spencer McNeil describes his work as “heartfelt” and says it has brought him into contact with some remarkable people. Photo / Kaitlyn Morrell
“Barbering saved my life and I feel like I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am today if it wasn’t for actually taking that first step.”
McNeil said he wanted to create a space to talk about life, struggles, and mental health.
“I always tell people: don’t just build a clientele, build a community.
“I want it to be a place where you can come sit down, have a yarn, feel safe, and know that regardless of what you’re going through, you’ve got a purpose.”
Barber Spence & Co employs four barbers, taking them on after barbering school and training them up.
“They can stay, they can do whatever, but a lot of them go do their own thing after.”
He said the moment he realised he was doing more than giving fresh cuts was when a young client revealed his haircut could have been his last.
Two years ago, Spencer McNeil opened Barber Spence & Co in Brookfield. Photo / Kaitlyn Morrell
“He said that if it wasn’t for him coming for that haircut, he wouldn’t have made it. If I didn’t accept him into my chair that day, who knows.”
Two years later, that client has rebuilt his life, and McNeil was proud to have played a part in that turnaround.
“Storms never last, and time heals; prioritise your own mental health before it gets too late.”
McNeil said he opened the conversation with the same question for every client: “How are you?”
“I think it’s more about opening space and letting them talk, not taking their spotlight. If it’s beyond you, then it’s about trying to point them in the right direction to get them help.”
He has had many people in his chair over six years of barbering.
While it was “exciting” working with high-profile clients such as All Blacks Leroy Carter, Anton Lienert-Brown, Quinn Tupaea and Pasilio Tosi, as well as TikTok star Uncle Tics, it was the everyday moments that stayed with him.
His oldest and youngest clients were the most memorable.
“Cutting a 100-year-old man’s hair and asking him what’s the trick, or listening to his advice, is so much more important and heart-warming.
Spencer McNeil of Barber Spence Co, with Tauranga Business Awards head judge Jamie Lunam after receiving the surprise Special Judges Impact Award. Photo / Salina Galvan
“Cutting a kid’s hair for the first time is special for me. I’ve had kids I started cutting at 1 year old, and now I’m still cutting their hair at 5.”
In videos on his thriving social media with one young client, McNeil patiently entertains and calms the easily distracted child so they can get the job done.
He described his work as “heartfelt” and said it had introduced him to remarkable people.
“Sometimes I’ll go outside and just say, ‘Come on mate’ to a homeless fella and offer a haircut. I’ll ask how he got here, how he ended up in this situation.
“It’s a cruel world, but it’s also beautiful if you see the bright side of it.”
He said his surprise recognition at the recent Tauranga Business Awards – a Judges Impact Award – was a “massive wake-up call” to keep being himself.
That was followed with the Youth Spirit Award at the Western Bay Community Awards on Thursday night.
Dan Allen-Gordon and Spencer McNeil at the Western Bay Community Awards. Photo / Studio Muse
“I’m only 21, and I need to keep growing, keep grinding, and be the best version I can of me, so I can relay that on to my staff and all my people.”
McNeil is a graduate of the Graeme Dingle Foundation’s Project K youth development programme.
Founder Dan Allen-Gordon has worked with and mentored McNeil since he was 15.
He said McNeil “excels in the community” because he has a huge heart and gives back.
“I don’t think he has any idea of just the number of people that he has a huge impact on.
“I’m incredibly proud of him. We’ve got a lifelong relationship, and I’ll always support him where need be.”
Kaitlyn Morrell is a journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.