King Country locals join the crew

5 August 2024

Three more King Country locals have begun their journeys to becoming fully qualified line mechanics.

Joe Gaylor, Zykarne Kopa-Winikerei and Bayley Christy have each scored a coveted position with The Lines Company (TLC) as trainee line mechanics. Bayley joined Joe and Zykarne on site at the Waitete depot in Te Kuiti last week and all three have now started a formal training programme to secure nationally recognised qualifications.

TLC chief executive Mike Fox said the company “unashamedly” wants to hire locals as line mechanic trainees, as well as into other roles. Joe, already a qualified builder, lives in Ōtorohanga. Zykarne, who has been farming since leaving school, is in Te Kuiti.  Bayley, who also lives in Te Kuiti, joins TLC from a previous job in Taumarunui.

“We have some specialised roles at TLC and sometimes we are forced to recruit those from out-of-town – that’s the reality. But we really want our line mechanics to be locals…people who know the area, care about our community and can get stuck in,” Fox said.

“Being a line mechanic is a great job but it’s also a challenging one. So we need people who can learn, who can become part of a really dedicated team, and do the hard mahi when we need it.  It’s great to have these guys on board and I know they’re going to do really well.”

The trio won their new jobs ahead of around 80 applicants and survived an intense recruitment process. Bayley thought it was an amazing opportunity to learn new skills and get into the electricity industry.

“I always heard good things about the company, which made it a whole lot easier to apply. So yeah, I’m keen to get amongst it.”

And after building for close to 10 years, Joe was looking for something new.

“The Lines Company has so many different career pathways and training course available, so I was excited to see where it could lead me,” he said.