I’ve lived in North Canterbury for most of my life. I moved here when I was four years old. My wife is also from North Canterbury. I left NZ to initially work in Australia but after several years there we ended up travelling to England and Ireland where we lived for a few years, but we chose to come back to North Canterbury. We now live in Amberley with our three children. Most of the people that I’ve grown up with are still living here in North Canterbury too. They’ve all travelled as well and then come back home. I guess it’s because living in this area has got a really good family vibe. You always bump into people you know everywhere you go.

I work as a Customer Initiated Works Representative at MainPower, North Canterbury’s electricity distribution company. I’ve been employed with MainPower for 20 years. I started on the tools, as a digger operator, then I moved into cable jointing and became a qualified cable jointer. From there I became a supervisor and now I am in my current position. MainPower has supported me through this whole progression. They’re good at identifying leaders and training staff up to take on new positions as the company grows. They really see the value in retaining quality staff.

What I love the most about North Canterbury is having easy access to the outdoors, the hills, the mountains, the coast, and the rivers. It’s so easy to get to all those playgrounds. It’s only a short drive for me to be at the base of Mt Grey or at the Waimakariri or Hurunui rivers. I spend a lot of my time running, biking, and kayaking that’s training for multisport and adventure races. I’ve completed the Coast to Coast a couple of times and the GODZone Adventure race four times as well. Our GODZone team is four North Canterbury locals, completing the past two events together.

As a family we also love to get out on our bikes or away tramping in the hills a few times a year. We also love skiing and we’re lucky that it’s only two hours from home to the top of the Mt Hutt carpark. We also try to get to Mt Lyford a few times a year as it’s a great local field.

I’m actively involved in coaching hockey for Rangiora Club and Rangiora High School. I spend many evenings in the week coaching and going to the games in the winter. The club is a tight knit group that I’ve been involved with for a long time. I also help at our kids’ primary school when and where I can, going on camps and things like that. My wife Fiona is on the school Board of Trustees, so we’re very invested in the local community.

One of the things I love about working for MainPower is, as a community owned organisation they have a huge focus on funding local initiatives and sport opportunities in North Canterbury. They have a community fund twice a year for schools and charitable organisations, they fund the North Canterbury Sports awards, and have a scholarship programme, as well as big local projects like the new MainPower  Stadium. They also have an amazing Bright Spark Scholarship that supports tertiary students related to MainPower employees. The recipients can also come into   MainPower and do internships in the holidays. It’s a great opportunity. It’s a great place to work, they really do provide you with opportunities and look after their employees.

North Canterbury has grown and developed so much since I was younger. It’s incredible to see what has gone on here in the last 20 years. We’ve pretty much got everything we need here now with fantastic sporting facilities, all the major shops we need, but it’s still a great family place and everyone is so friendly.

MainPower is a leading NZ electricity distributor, supplying electricity to the North Canterbury and Kaikoura regions. MainPower are committed to developing a strong workplace culture where people are supported, empowered, and provided the tools required to deliver in their roles. Discover careers at MainPower here.

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