Emma Russell continues her new series charting the stories of former Whanganui students who have gone on to success in the big world
Former Whanganui High School student Thomas Matthews is the ultimate go-getter.
An idea that started when he got the "machinery bug" has been transformed into Matthews Agriculture, of which he is the founder and owner.
He established his successful planting, cultivation and grain harvesting business in 2015, while continuing to work for his parents, Bob and Cath Matthews, on their family farm and long-standing rose nursery.
Prior to launching his business, and initially unsure on the direct career path he would take, Mr Matthews fled to the United States for two years to work for a harvesting company.
"I got to see the scale of the farming they were doing over there and how they were utilising machinery," he said.