Born in Paparoa in 1968 to parents Barrie and Lorraine Paton (nee Finlayson), Bruce grew up on the family dairy farm in Kamo. He attended Hurapaki School, Kamo Intermediate and Kamo High Schools, and graduated from Massey University with a Bachelor of Agriculture in Production Management. Bruce married Julie in 1991 and they have four children – Tessa, Izzy, Jack and Angus, who all attended Ruakaka Primary School and Bream Bay College.

Bruce began work as a Sports field Manager for Auckland City Council in 1990 and left in 1993 to work as a sharemilker on the family farm in Mata, near Ruakaka and has been dairy farming ever since, on properties in Ruakaka, One Tree Point, Donnelly’s Crossing, Kaiwaka and Tapora. He and Julie have won numerous farming awards including the national sharemilker of the year.

Bruce was chair of Ruakaka Primary’s board of trustees for 12 years and sat on the Ruakaka Recreation Centre Committee for three years. He is very keen on all sports, in particular hockey and cricket. He helped establish the men’s Bream Bay hockey team in 1995 and has played for the club ever since. He restarted the Bream Bay Cricket Club in 2006 which he has also played for since. Has president of both Bream Bay Hockey and Cricket Clubs for several years and held other positions on those club’s committees and has coached hockey and cricket (including age group representative) for more than 15 years. He currently coaches the Bream Bay Div 1 women’s team and plays both indoor and field cricket for Bream Bay as well as the men’s Div 2 hockey team.

Bruce is passionate about supporting the Bream Bay and wider Northland community. His competitive yet compassionate nature means he is always looking for the winning solutions to people’s issues. His experience in business and in community services will help him be a constructive team member for the Bream Bay Trust.