Harris' meteoric rise from not having a full Chiefs contract at the start of 2014, to being on the cusp of the All Blacks to play England in June, is some story.
At the heart of it is the realisation that hard work and determination will always get rewards.
"With the unfortunate (neck) injury to Hika Elliot putting him out for the season, it gave me an opportunity to get among it and have a good crack," Harris said.
"I thought maybe if I keep my head down and do those little things right, you never know what is going to happen. It was a good opportunity and I got picked up."
But there was nothing lucky about how hard he worked at the Chiefs.
"When you are training, the coach always says look out for the dude who is out the front so I guess that was something I could judge myself on and try and impress by that. I guess trying to give it all and go as hard as I could for those first three weeks of pre-season. I think I was in the best shape of my life."
Harris' debut for the Chiefs came in almost bizarre circumstances against the Crusaders in Christchurch in round one back in February.
He was on the bench as back-up hooker to Rhys Marshall but so severe was the injury toll that night, Harris played the final 15 minutes at blindside flanker - his favourite position growing up.
"I was just dropped into that deep end so I just had to think what to do, what is my role, and keeping calm rather than getting too into the moment," he said.
Harris grew up in Te Puke with rugby a big part of his life. The family home is 200m from the rugby ground where his father, Quinton, played openside flanker for Te Puke Sports.
Playing for the Bay of Plenty Steamers was his big goal in those days.
"That was when we won the Ranfurly Shield (2003) so I thought to be a Steamer would be awesome, but was more there to play with my mates and having fun playing rugby."
Rugby was not the only sport to dominate his early years. A natural in the water, Harris loves nothing more than diving for crayfish and scallops.
Harris had two years in the First XV at Tauranga Boys' College and swapped between blindside flanker and hooker.
With NZ Secondary Schools reps Sam Cane and Carl Axtens arriving from Reporoa College, it meant a shift to hooker for Harris.
He soon realised his opportunities were in the front row.
Selection in the NZ Under-20s followed in 2012 and then injuries - the bane of every sportsman - slowed his progress until this year's dramatic rise.
