WordPress, Shopify and Custom Web Development in New Plymouth

Web development services in New Plymouth

• WordPress development

  WordPress is the backbone of most small business and agency builds, and it's where I spend most of my time. That covers custom theme development, taking a design file through to a fully editable WordPress build a client can manage without breaking it. It covers REST API work for integrations with booking systems, CRMs, and third party services. And it covers headless WordPress, where the front end is decoupled from the editor and served through Next.js or another framework.

  WooCommerce stores and checkout customisation are part of the same skill set, including the New Zealand specifics: Windcave and POLi payment gateways, Afterpay and Laybuy, GST inclusive pricing displayed correctly, and shipping rules built around NZ Post and Aramex rather than assuming a US courier.

• Shopify development

  Shopify projects run from theme customisation on an existing store through to fully custom storefronts built around a brand's own design system. App integrations are a regular part of it, connecting a store to the fulfilment, subscription, loyalty, or accounting tools a business already relies on. For New Zealand stores that usually means Xero, NZ Post or Aramex for shipping labels, and local payment options alongside Shopify Payments.

• Custom web development

  Some projects don't fit a WordPress or Shopify template. For those I build from scratch with React based frameworks like Next.js, shaped around what the project needs rather than what a platform allows. React is the most widely used front end library going, so a custom build stays maintainable by other developers instead of tying you to whoever wrote it.

  This covers front end builds from a design handoff, API work connecting a site to internal systems or third party services, and ongoing feature development for products that have outgrown an off the shelf platform.

• Hosting and maintenance

  A finished site still needs looking after: core and plugin updates, security patching, uptime monitoring, and backups that get tested rather than just scheduled. Cheers Digital provides ongoing hosting and maintenance for WordPress, Shopify, and custom builds.

  Hosting sits on New Zealand and Australian infrastructure, which keeps things fast for local visitors instead of routing every request through a data centre on the other side of the world. Maintenance also covers the small fixes and content changes that come up after launch, so you're not waiting on a ticket queue to change a phone number.

Working with New Plymouth and Taranaki businesses

Why work with Cheers Digital

• Straight to me, the developer

  No account manager and no handover between departments. Enquiries, project discussions, and support all come directly to the person doing the work.

• The same developer agencies contract

  Most of my work is contract development for digital agencies in New Zealand and Australia, building sites that go out under their name. Local businesses get that standard of build directly, at a direct rate.

• New Zealand hours

  Based in New Plymouth and working New Zealand business hours, which matters when something needs sorting the same day rather than waiting for a reply from another timezone.

• Local, and set up to stay that way

  Cheers Digital is based in New Plymouth and works with clients across Taranaki and the rest of New Zealand. Close enough to meet for a coffee, set up to work remotely with anyone.

Frequently asked questions

• Do you work directly with clients or only through agencies?

  Both. A good portion of the work is contract development for digital agencies who need extra capacity: theme builds, ongoing maintenance, or a developer who can pick up a project mid-stream. The rest is direct client work, mostly WordPress and Shopify builds for New Plymouth and Taranaki businesses. Either way the process is the same. A scoped brief, direct communication, and a build handed over properly documented.

• Can you take over an existing WordPress site?

  Yes, and it comes up often, usually when a previous developer is no longer available or a site has fallen out of maintenance. The first step is always an audit: checking the theme setup, plugins, hosting, and any custom code before touching anything, so nothing breaks on handover. From there it's ongoing maintenance, a rebuild, or targeted fixes, depending on what the site needs.

• Do you do headless WordPress?

  Yes. Headless WordPress keeps WordPress as the content editor and API but serves the front end through a separate framework, usually Next.js, using the WordPress REST API or WPGraphQL. It suits projects that need a faster and more flexible front end than a traditional theme allows, while still giving content editors the WordPress admin they already know. It's a more involved build than a standard theme, so it's normally scoped as a custom development project.

• What does hosting and maintenance cover?

  Core, theme, and plugin updates applied and tested rather than left to auto update and hope. Security patching and malware scanning. Daily offsite backups with restores tested periodically, because an untested backup isn't a backup. Uptime monitoring with alerts. SSL renewal. And a set amount of small change work each month for content edits, new pages, and the fixes that come up after launch. Hosting sits on New Zealand or Australian infrastructure to keep load times down for local visitors.

• Do you work with clients outside Taranaki?

  Yes. A good share of the work is for clients elsewhere in New Zealand or in Australia, most of it remote. Local presence matters for New Plymouth businesses who want to meet face to face, but nothing about the work requires it. Video calls, shared project boards, and staging sites cover the rest.

• Do you build Shopify stores from scratch, or only customise existing themes?

  Both. Customising a premium theme is usually the fastest and most cost effective route for a smaller store, and for many businesses it's the right call. A fully custom storefront makes sense when a brand has its own design system, when the shopping experience needs to work in a way stock themes don't support, or when there are integrations a theme can't accommodate cleanly. I'll tell you which one your project needs rather than defaulting to the more expensive option.

• Can you help with New Zealand payment gateways and shipping?

  Yes. WooCommerce and Shopify both need work to behave properly for a New Zealand store. That includes Windcave and POLi alongside Stripe, buy now pay later through Afterpay or Laybuy, GST inclusive pricing displayed correctly, rural delivery surcharges, and shipping rates that match what NZ Post or Aramex actually charge. Xero integration for invoicing is a common addition.

• Can we meet in person?

  If you're in New Plymouth or nearby, yes. It's often worth doing at the start of a project when there's a lot to work through, and again at handover. Beyond that most projects run fine over email and the occasional call. Businesses elsewhere in Taranaki are easy enough to get to as well.

• What if something breaks and I need an urgent fix?

  Get in touch and I'll look at it. Sites on a maintenance plan get priority, and for those I'll usually have been alerted by monitoring before you notice. For anything else it depends on the day, but being in the same timezone means an urgent issue gets a response in hours rather than waiting for a team elsewhere to come online. Genuinely broken sites, as opposed to change requests, jump the queue.

• How do projects usually start?

  With a conversation about what you need and what's driving it. From there I'll put together a written scope covering deliverables, timeline, and cost, so there's no ambiguity about what's included. Smaller jobs can skip straight to a quote. For agencies it's usually more direct, since the brief and designs are already done, and I'll come back with an estimate and availability.

Contact details