March 5 2026
Doing a deep dive into mechanical problems is what gets Blake Martin’s gears going and during his apprenticeship at Autohaus Auckland, he’s had plenty of opportunities to do just that.
In 2025, Blake completed his New Zealand Certificate in Light Automotive Engineering (Level 3 and 4) through MITO and says, “completing it is amazing.”
Since he was young, Blake has always enjoyed being hands on and fixing things. He grew up watching his dad Byron Martin working on cars at home—and at work, as Byron is the owner of Autohaus Auckland.
“Having Dad around always working on cars convinced me to continue with that kind of career,” says Blake.
The final piece of the puzzle fell into place when he attended an automotive class at Massey High School.
“In the final years we made a little motorbike and a go kart. That really tickled that part of my brain. We spent the last half of the year building it, then whizzing it around the field. As soon as I finished school, I got straight into working at Autohaus.”
Since then, Blake’s thrived in the varied environment of a mechanical workshop. Autohaus Auckland provides maintenance and repair services for European car brands, from current-day models through to 1950s classics, which means there is always something new to work on.
“Literally, it's never the same day. Even if I work on the same part, it'll be a different car every day,” Blake says.
At any given time, Blake could be doing WOFs, services, working on engines, or modifying car software to prevent future issues. He describes how Mercedes cars have software-based faults, which require taking apart the dashboard, accessing the digital system and putting in new code, then testing everything to make sure it’s all working.
Blake’s dad—and now supervisor, Byron, says Blake has a lot of experience and has recently done something particularly unique and skilled.
"He was the first mechanic in New Zealand to rebuild one of the Bentley 6.0L W12 twin-turbo engines. No one else in the country has done it because Bentley doesn’t sell parts for the engines—you just have to buy a whole new engine. But he wanted to take on that challenge, so that's worked really successfully. We're all about looking for different alternatives to fixing the cars,” says Byron.
Byron has observed that the key to Blake’s success lies in his desire to challenge himself. Blake also has additional learning needs including dyslexia, ADHD, and mild autism, which Byron considers a strength.
“A lot of people look at that as a disability, but in this field it's an advantage, because it gives him this ability to concentrate. He'll stick with something—be preoccupied with a problem—and won't let it go until it's fixed. From a technical perspective, it really is an advantage, because it means I can give him something to work out, and he just won't let it go until it's fixed,” says Byron.
Blake’s training advisor at MITO, Brad Hepi, says despite some technical setbacks, Blake completed his training faster than average.
“He completed it a good two months before he was due to. The amazing thing about that is quite a few people can achieve that, but for someone with diverse learning needs that’s really impressive.”
Blake had initial challenges transferring his practical learning into an academic format and compiling evidence from his experience into the right structure and format. However, Brad says Blake never gave up or lost his focus.
“He acknowledged and took ownership of it and despite those challenges, applied himself and was determined to get through his programme. It was just perseverance and dedication to not only his apprenticeship, but also a focus on the goal and that was to become a qualified technician.”
It’s not only Blake who has thrived in the work environment at Autohaus Auckland—within the space of 12 months two other apprentices have completed their New Zealand Certificate in Light Automotive Engineering (Level 4): Peter Goodlud and Chris Moon.
“We're not all built for university, I certainly wasn't, and there's a lot of young people in that same position, but they can make a great career in the trades,” says Byron.
A positive learning environment has made a big difference for Blake and he adds that people can also help themselves out.
"It sounds so simple but knowing the things that will allow yourself to do things better, like if you like a coffee in the morning, making sure that is set up so you just walk in and have a coffee, and then get straight on to it. Making sure everything's in order, not too much—you don't need to go crazy—but helping yourself out so that it's easier for you,” Blake says.
He also says you can learn a lot from the people around you.
“Just ask a lot of questions, ask the stupid questions. Make sure you know more than you need to.”
