How do you think Whanganui has changed over the years?
"Whanganui has changed a great deal, and I think the average age of the people here is coming down as well.
There's a lot of people in Whanganui who are at that age when they want to get out there and achieve something.
Everyone seems to have the same goal of making this town thrive a little bit better. I think that's a huge change from, say, 10-15 years ago."
Which brand of car comes through your doors the most? And what's the most common repair job?
I would have to say Mazdas are the most common. Service and maintenance would be the most common job.
What is your absolute dream vehicle?
"I'm going back in time to 1971, and it would be a Ford Falcon XY GTHO. I'm a big Ford man at heart and to an Australian Ford fan that's the holy grail of cars.
It's had numerous victories at Bathurst, and, you might have to check this, but I think it still holds the record for the fastest four door production vehicle made in Australia."
If you hadn't pursued a career in the automotive industry, what would you have done instead?
"I don't really know, to be honest. From school, this is what I wanted to do.
There are a lot of people who go 'I want to do one of these three things', and whichever works out ends up being their career.
Halfway through they get a bit bored and try something else, but I still hop in my ute every morning and still smile on the way to work.
I can't imagine doing anything else, I really can't."
What lessons did you learn in 2020?
"I learnt that it's not all about work, work, work. We need to have a bit of family time and a bit of down time from our everyday stresses in life.
In lockdown in particular, we all learnt to get along a lot better and we learnt to forgive each other for the little things.
If there was one thing I learned it's being more respectful of other people and that's it's not all about work and making money. "
What do you think Whanganui's best kept secret is?
"The people, probably. It surprises me how helpful retailers are when you go into town, and it surprises me how helpful the general public are.
Our main street is beautiful as well, and no matter where you live in Whanganui, nothing is too far away. Whanganui is full of little treasures, I believe."
Which event from history would you most liked to have been at?
"We're going back to 1971 again. I would have loved to be at Bathurst, when the XY GTHO did its first race. They came across the line in first, second, and third."
How do you see your industry in 20 years? Do you think the move towards electric vehicles will impact you?
"Electric vehicles will definitely impact us, but in the next 20 years, I don't think it's going to impact us enough.
In my opinion, I don't think enough research and development has been done to justify getting rid of our current fleet and putting a fleet of electric vehicles in. I'm talking about disposing of batteries, and we need more research into battery life, charging, and recycling.
Yes, our industry will change, but I'm a firm believer that the fleet of cars we've got now, especially in New Zealand, are still going to be here for a long time."
How are the 2021 Street Drags shaping up?
"They're shaping up well. It's our 35th anniversary, so we're going to be running them on a Saturday instead of a Sunday.
That allows us to hold a really great after function and prizegiving and it keeps all the drivers safe if they're going to have a meal and a few drinks afterwards.
It'll also bring people to Whanganui for the weekend. The businesses along Taupo Quay have come together and allowed it, so things are looking really good."
