Nathan Tawhai embraces Waiheke Island life

Eight years after starting as an apprentice, Nathan Tawhai has become an experienced member of the team at Waiheke Bus Company. Fully qualified in Heavy Automotive Engineering—Road Transport, and Electric Vehicle Automotive Engineering, Nathan is now working towards gaining his Business qualification in First Line Management.

Through his work maintaining the company's diverse fleet, Nathan is building valuable skills that support not only his career, but also the whānau, community groups, and island lifestyle that make Waiheke home.

What makes your role unique?

Not having the quick and easy access to suppliers as mainlanders do, we must plan to undertake major repairs—making sure we have the correct parts and fluids before we commence the job.

Our mechanic role involves several jobs such as refitting our tires, panel and body work, fabrication, etc. But what makes our role unique would be our fleet. We have Alexander Dennis, MAN, Foton, Volvo, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Iveco, Yutong, Zhongtong, and BYD—half our fleet is fully electric!

What are some of your main responsibilities?

Making sure the fleet are COF [Certificate of Fitness] compliant and safe to drive. Doing constant services—each model requires regular maintenance to maintain and prolong the lifespan. And I work with the drivers to make alterations that provide a safer and comfortable journey.

Summertime is our busiest time, from October to April, when Aucklanders and visitors from cruises venture over here to the island for its many vineyards and pristine beaches—basically a destination to come and relax while you eat and drink.

What are the coolest things about your job?

The location, of course! We are only 35 minutes from downtown Auckland. We don’t have fast food takeaways or malls; we have one Woolies [Woolworths] and one Placemakers. Traffic to us is five cars waiting in line, and there are no traffic lights.

I'm always at the beach swimming, fishing, diving, waka ama, and there are so many walking tracks and reserves.

And working for a company that is essential to the island's growth, and pushing boundaries to reduce the need for fossil fuels, is a huge challenge.

Nathan's favourite part of the job

Gaining the skills to overcome some challenges, not just for work but for personal life—like, maintaining my tank water and wastewater management systems. I want to be more self-sufficient. Being less dependent on outside services is a goal that many Waiheke locals are striving to achieve.

Becoming more confident and experienced not only helps my whānau, but also the close community groups I'm involved in, such as Waiheke Primary School, Waiheke Emergency Response Network, and Piritahi Marae. It really comes down to passing on the knowledge I have gained and sharing to whoever needs it.