Foot on the pedal for his future

With a stake in the future as an automotive engineer, young Quality Roading and Services labourer Tiakiwai King has a foot in the past with his love of old school cars.

The 18-year-old adores Ford Mustangs, the iconic American car and symbol of cool that has bewitched many a car lover. “I love the whole history behind the vehicles,” explains the former Wairoa College student, who has a level three certificate in automotive engineering.

Tiakiwai, Ngāti Kahungunu, is the son of Hamiora and Kerry King who own HT King Logging Ltd. His family has always been into machines. From motocross to Mustangs, from speedway to logging trucks, Tiakiwai is always riding, driving, or fixing vehicles.

He loves classic vehicles that demand attention and does not seem to have got over the indignation of having to travel in a Ford Transit to his course in Gisborne last year. “Yeah, that was a low point!” he laughs.

Right now, he’s helping a friend fix an off-road bike and is tinkering with a 4x4 beach buggy. Good-natured and always cheerful Tiakiwai is currently working in traffic control. He hopes one day to make it into a workshop servicing and repairing heavy vehicles such as trucks, bulldozers, and tractors.

He knows he could probably work for his parents but is keen to “do the hard yards and get a bit more life experience” under his belt. In the meantime, he loves working at QRS and enjoys discovering parts of Wairoa and surrounding districts he didn’t know existed. “It’s heaps of fun, I enjoy coming to work.”

27 August 2019

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