The Perfect Beginning
As a student, Rayne Hungahunga initially explored career options in cooking, art and hairdressing. None seemed right, but when she tried MITO’s StartUp® programme something just clicked.
Rayne says she was inspired to pursue a career in the motor industry by a friend’s mother who was a qualified mechanic. And there’s also the fact that a Shelby Mustang was waiting in the workshop for Rayne on her very first day!
It was the perfect beginning – the moment I saw that car I knew I really wanted to do this.
Rayne enrolled in StartUp® through her high school’s Gateway programme and completed motor industry unit standards (Level 1). She also attended short courses at the Eastern Institute of Technology and worked once a week at Millward Motors, a Havelock North BP service station that also operated a three-bay workshop.
“It was the perfect beginning – the moment I saw that car I knew I really wanted to do this,” she laughs. What’s more, she was soon tasked with working on the dream machine, although the dangers of spilling brake fluid on the expensive paint job were made abundantly clear!
Rayne now has a National Certificate in Motor Industry (Foundation Skills), and is keen to establish a career in the industry and complete a MITO apprenticeship. She says she owes it all to StartUp®.
