Big plans for IT whiz

MAXIMUS means & BIG! And Yvonne Dehar makes no secret of the fact that is what she intends to make her still-fledgling, Wanganui-based business Maximus Computers.
Her ultimate goal, she says, is to make the business into "the Pak 'n Save of computing".
She is off to a good start in that direction after having won recognition at the Maori Womens' Development Incorporation's biennial Mana Maori business awards last weekend.
The Highly Commended certificate sits on her desk at one of her several places of work, Land Base Training's computing classroom.
But in time, it will almost certainly end up with the swag of other certificates Ms Dehar has earned during the past nine years while building up her own skills and knowledge so that she can share them with others. Originally from Ngaruawahia in the Waikato, Ms Dehar, 34, moved to Wanganui in February last year for family reasons. Since then she has completed her Ucol diploma in Information and Communication technology and made the leap into setting up her own business.
She said she was the only "IT chick" at MWDI awards and she's proud of that.
Ms Dehar is also a little unique in being one of very few women who are into the hardware side of computing, as well as the usual software application aspects, such as word processing, spread-sheets and desk-top publishing. She diagnoses the faults, pulls the computer to bits and "fixes" it.
That used to be men's work! "Not any more," Ms Dehar says, with a cheerful grin. "I've always been a bit of a brat & one to defy the odds and I love to break down barriers."
As well as running her own business from home and tutoring computing at Land Base Training, Ms Dehar is the administrator for Wanganui's Living Without Violence Trust. It's paid work that is providing her with the funding to progressively develop Maximus Computers. She didn't want to be burdened with a loan.
Part of her plan to grow her business is to gain Microsoft advanced certification and, in the not too distant future, embark on studies for a Bachelor of Information Technology degree.
And if that's not enough for a young woman with family responsibilities, Ms Dehar is also looking at running motivational courses at a local high school.
That's yet another element in the tutoring side of Maximus Computers and one which has "really taken off". "I love to have challenges and love meeting people and sharing my knowledge.
"And the more knowledge I have the more I get to share," she said.