Our Story
Started With a Passion.
Built on Trust.
Proctor Auctions was founded in Dunedin in 1972 by Ron and Doreen Proctor, who had a deep love of antiques and a conviction that auction was the fairest way to buy and sell them. Starting from modest rooms somewhere in the city, they built something that would outlast them — a business rooted in honest dealing and genuine knowledge of the things they sold.
Ron and Doreen set the values that still define the business today: give honest appraisals, treat every client with respect, and always put the quality of the auction before the quantity of the lots. Those standards haven't changed in over 50 years — they've simply been passed down.
Their son Ronald and his wife Sharyn took the business to new heights. In an ambitious move, they relocated the auction rooms to Timaru, growing Proctor Auctions into a nationally recognised name before returning to Dunedin in 1994. It was Ronald and Sharyn who truly took the business beyond its Otago roots — building the reputation and reach that Proctor Auctions enjoys across New Zealand today.
Today, Ronnie Proctor — the third generation — leads the business. He grew up in the auction rooms, inheriting not just the family business but the expertise and relationships built over five decades. Under Ronnie, Proctor Auctions has embraced online bidding through the Auction Mobility platform, reaching buyers across New Zealand and internationally — while keeping the personal, trustworthy character that has always set the business apart.
