November 3 2026
Connor Gauld, Diesel Fuel Technician at Alltech Diesel & Turbocharger, was recognised in September as the Association of Australasian Diesel Specialists (AADS) Apprentice of the Year 2026.
Connor says, “I was very surprised to receive the award, but it was pretty nice to be recognised within the whole of New Zealand.
“I think it's important to have recognition for things like this, whether it was me or not. I think it's important for someone to be highlighted and tell them it's a good thing what you've been able to do. Also to show the older people that are in charge of the bigger decisions in the industry that there are new people coming through, and that it's valuable to keep up the training and maybe get apprentices of their own.”
Connor started out working in a speedway crew and quickly realised where his interests and career motivations lay.
“I actually had no idea what I wanted to do out of school. I kind of knew that I didn't want to go to university because I wanted a hands-on style of learning. Working with vehicles was a special interest and by the time I'd spent a few years on a race car team, I thought it would be easy to enjoy what I did every day.”
In addition to completing his New Zealand Certificate in Automotive Diesel Fuel Technology (Level 4) through MITO, Connor’s upskilling is always in motion.
“My boss is very good at keeping us upskilled and sending us on training courses from the manufacturers. So aside from the MITO apprenticeship, which was quite the milestone, I've also done a lot of official training courses with manufacturers. They’re really interesting and give a good glimpse into the future as well, because they're always working towards the future of technology. Diesel isn’t dying.”
The evolution of the industry is one of the most exciting aspects of his role.
“Technology in our field is progressing really quickly. There's still a lot of old stuff we recondition but also a lot of testing for new equipment.
“The industry is figuring out how to reduce and control vehicle tailpipe emissions, and comply with emissions standards. The introduction of hydrogen injection is quite exciting too.
“Seven and a half years has gone very quickly in my eyes. That's a testament to how much variety there is and the fact that there’s always something to learn.”
As part of his award win, Connor also won a scholarship to complete MITO’s New Zealand Certificate in Business (First Line Management) programme.
“It will be really interesting to see what goes on in that side of things and how you can make a workshop more profitable and efficient. I always wanted to own a workshop, maybe in the future, so that could be on the big scale, but I think just trying to be better in what I do every day is the current focus.”
