May 21 2026
There are plenty of misconceptions about working in a trade, but the real stories say otherwise.
After hearing from tradies across the country, it’s clear that these pathways can offer a rewarding and successful career, with no single path to success. No matter your background or existing skillset, everyone has the opportunity to make it in these industries, and the skills you build can take you anywhere.
“There's so much to learn. Even though I've been in the job for three years now, I'd say I'm still pretty green at some things. I'm excited to keep learning and finding new skills, and getting more creative with it, maybe do some perk jobs for my friends.” – Zoe Connolly, Brook’s Auto Painters
“There are four painters at my work. Each person gets a turn to paint so when I’m not painting, I’m prepping for the paint, so sanding, masking. And then when I’m mixing colour, the others mask it for me and get it ready for me to paint.” – Mali Scanlan, Panmech
“[MITO’s StartUp programme for secondary school students] will give you an idea about what it is to be a mechanic, and that’s a good start. My advice is if you can get work experience, learn as much as you can and be positive.” – Ali Mirzada, Morrison Motors
“I was working part-time while still at school. My manager told me about [MITO’s] micro-credential ShiftUp for school students, so I spoke to my school and was able to enrol.” – Jake Terrell, Steve Murphy Limited
“[My MITO Training Advisor] is really awesome. He comes in and checks up on us, and he definitely keeps track of where we're at, and is really encouraging and supportive. There’s lots of support around us.” – Piper Shaw, A&M Panel Repairs
“[MITO] didn’t treat anything as a wrong answer. Rather than just telling me I was incorrect, they would encourage me to improve the answer or provide further support.” – Zahid Koya, CablePrice
“I think the biggest challenge for me is confidence. I will naturally doubt myself sometimes, but my co-workers are very supportive. I’ll doubt myself more than they doubt me. Everyone’s ready to take you under their wing. They want to see you succeed as much as you want to succeed. Your co-workers are the ones that will back you the most.” – Mackenzie Lintern, NZ Cranes
“Since I was young, I have always loved taking things apart and trying to put them back together. I didn’t always have the skills to reassemble them, but I was committed to learning how. You’ve just got to have a good attitude, get on with the work, and stick with it. It can be hard at the start, but if you’ve got the drive and an open mindset to learn, you’ll be alright.” – Dante O’Neil, McLaren's Rural Services
“There's quite a lot of people in the industry that have been doing it for a long time. If you turn up with a decent attitude, they’re happy to share their skills and experience, so you can learn a lot quickly.” – Ricki Pei, AB Lime Limited
“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.” – Byron Martin, Autohaus
“I’m not the best at reading and writing so I did struggle with the theory side of things initially. I found it hard to get the motivation to sit down and push through it all, but once I got into the habit of setting a time to do it, I got a lot better at it. It’s absolutely changed what I thought was going to happen with my life, for the best. It’s put me on a path with structure and consistency, and I’d recommend it to anyone.” – Carter McLeod, Macaulay Motors Limited
“When I started the course, all I wanted was to get qualified. And now I'm looking at maybe having my own workshop one day.” – Sanerivi (Rivi) Leiua, Midas Newtown and Te Aro
“The auto sparky left, so I learned wiring. Then the tuner left, so I learned a bit of tuning. Then the foreman left.” – Tony Hamelmann, Torque Performance
Ready to explore a career in the trades? Find out more on how you can get started.
