Success Stories

With a passion for cars, a career in the automotive industry was always on the cards for Regan. Now he’s completing his apprenticeship through MITO and is loving learning a trade.

2020 MITO Alumni - Electric Vehicle scholarship recipient Tom Nikolaison has a passion for electric vehicles, and is lucky enough to work on them every day.

Over the past eight years, Aaron Baylis has completed his light vehicle apprenticeship, been promoted to Workshop Foreman, and received a 2020 MITO scholarship.

The CRA Apprentice of the Year – Golden Gun is awarded to the country’s most outstanding automotive refinishing apprentice. This year’s recipient was 23-year-old Utah Tane.

Shania Smith was keen to leave school as soon as she could. After working in the hospitality industry for a few years, Shania bought herself an R32 Skyline which sparked her passion. 

The recipient of the 2019 CRA Apprentice of the Year – Golden Hammer award was 25-year-old Peter Joseph from New Plymouth Car Painters Panel and Paint.

Chris Pearson, a senior service technician at Tesla, was the first in the country to complete the New Zealand Certificate in Electric Vehicle Automotive Engineering (Level 5).

Since completing the New Zealand Diploma in Business, Hemi Peek hopes to work his way up to sales manager, and eventually dealer principal.

After driving trucks for 10 years, Hillary Moffatt was after a change. Still interested in heavy vehicles, she decided to give up driving trucks, and try her hand at fixing them instead.