CEO’s message
Welcome to 2026.
The start of a new year brings the opportunity to explore goals and aims for the year ahead, and I’m very excited to say that 2026 is already shaping up to be another big one for the Capricorn Community.
An ongoing point of conversation in our Community is the skills shortage. It affects workshops every day and makes finding qualified people an ongoing struggle. To help address this, I was thrilled to announce that Capricorn acquired Australian Skilled Migration (ASM) late last year. ASM is a family-owned recruitment and migration company run by father-and-daughter team, Glenn and Alex Cole. The company specialises in connecting Australian businesses with fully vetted skilled overseas workers and managing the full employer-sponsored visa process. This partnership means Members will have better access to skilled talent from overseas.
While ASM does not currently offer skilled migration recruitment in New Zealand, Members in New Zealand can still share in the upside - ASM’s success helps drive Capricorn Group’s growth, which may lead to stronger Member Returns.
The acquisition of ASM is just one of the ways Capricorn is working to alleviate the skills shortage for the industry. This year we will continue to grow our Rising Stars Awards, which celebrate and promote emerging talent in the industry. These awards help inspire others to consider a career in automotive and build a strong pipeline of skilled professionals for the future. Nominations will open soon for the 2026 Rising Stars Awards, so start thinking about the apprentices in your workshop who deserve recognition.
In addition to celebrating the leaders of the future, we are also continually looking at ways to promote the industry to apprentices of the future. Capricorn is proud to continue to grow our Career Expos, organised in partnership with other industry bodies, to even more locations this year. These expos run alongside Trade Shows to provide valuable opportunities for Members and Preferred Suppliers to connect with people interested in joining the industry. Last year’s events were a great success, and this year they will be even bigger and better. For those looking for staff or wanting to promote automotive careers, these expos are the perfect starting point.
As always in the Capricorn Community, there will be plenty of chances to connect throughout the year at Gala Dinners, Regional Trade Shows as well as the Capricorn Convention, and I look forward to seeing many of you there. These events are always a highlight; they offer an opportunity to celebrate the community, share ideas and strengthen connections.
The year ahead will bring its challenges, but the industry can make a real impact by working together. Thank you for being part of the Capricorn Community and for trusting Capricorn with your business. Here’s to a successful year ahead!
Brad Gannon Group CEO
4 Tammy and Gareth: Driving Change at Torbay
Building a better future for Torbay workshops.
8 Don’t get hooked
Outsmart online scammers before they reel you in.
12 Future ride: Elevated Ambitions
Electric dreams and F1 speed: Cadillac’s big play.
16 The rise of AI in the automotive aftermarket
A new era of diagnostic support.
DRIVING Tammy and DRIVING
DRIVING CHANGE Gareth: at Torbay DRIVING CHANGE
When you walk into Tammy and Gareth’s workshop in Torbay, you can feel the passion for cars and community. Their story is one of hard work, resilience, and a love for the automotive industry.
From Mechanic to Business Owner
Gareth had spent 25 years as an automotive technician, and after six years at the Torbay Service Station, he was ready for something new. He began planning a major career change with his goal to become a personal trainer. It wasn’t just a passing thought, Gareth was prepared to take the leap.
After discussing his plan with the workshop owners, the owners made a bold proposal: for Gareth and his wife Tammy to take over the business.
For them, it was an easy decision. The shop had a strong customer base, Gareth was ready for the next step, and Tammy was keen to run a business. Nine years later, they’ve built something special. Tammy, who was previously a vet nurse,
grew up around cars and loved the idea of being a business owner. “It wasn’t a huge shift for me,” Tammy says. “I’ve always enjoyed cars and had wanted to run my own business.” While she misses working with animals, Tammy still volunteers regularly which included a recent trip to Niue in the South Pacific to help desex animals.
Navigating Tough Times
Like many small businesses, the past couple of years have been challenging. “The economy has been tough,” Tammy admits. “We’ve had some business issues and staffing challenges.” But joining the Engine Room, which coaches business owners and leaders for success, and connecting with other workshop owners has been a game-changer. At a Queenstown event earlier this year, Tammy and Gareth had
open discussions with peers about shaping the future of their business.
One big change that was implemented as a result, has been moving to a four-day work week. “We were nervous about how customers would react,” Tammy says. “But the feedback was incredible, some customers even stopped by to say how much they loved it in person.”
This change has given Tammy and Gareth a much better work-life balance and strengthened their customer connections. Instead of dropping off cars via a lockbox, customers now see the team in person and get the chance to have a chat thanks to the extended hours. Six months in, the new schedule is working well.
Tammy and Gareth: at Torbay DRIVING CHANGE
Building the Dream Team
Right now, the workshop has Gareth, a fourth-year apprentice, a recently hired service adviser and they’re on the lookout for another qualified technician to join the team.
“Most applications have come from overseas, but we’re focused on finding local talent because we don’t have the ability to sponsor right now,” Tammy explains. “Quality applications are hard to come by, and we can’t take on more apprentices at the moment.”
Rather than standing still, Tammy and Gareth are trying new approaches to attract talent. They’re also highlighting the benefits of working in a progressive workshop, including their four-day work week.
Recruitment challenges aside, their vision is clear: grow the team to three or four full-time technicians over the next few years, allowing Gareth to step back into a more strategic business role. With strong industry connections and a focus on innovation, they’re confident they’ll get there.
Welcoming and Supporting Younger Generations
Tammy is passionate about breaking down barriers in the industry. “As a female in automotive, it can be tough,” she says. “Some customers just want to speak to the technician. But I grew up with cars, and I love what I do.”
Her advice? Build confidence through knowledge and keep showing customers the value you bring.
Looking ahead, Tammy wants to tackle another challenge: attracting the next generation. “Kids don’t get the same handson experience these days,” she says. “I’d love to run a roadshow in schools, teach kids how to change a tyre, show them what’s possible in this industry, and give them lifelong skills.” The industry is vital to everyday life for so many people and Tammy wants to shine a light on that for young people. It’s not just about filling roles now, it’s about educating people on everyday car habits as well as inspiring future technicians and business owners.
The Power of Community and Industry Connections
Being part of the Engine Room has been a turning point for Tammy and Gareth. It’s not just about networking, it’s about gaining clarity and confidence in their business.
“We now know our numbers much better,” Tammy says. “We’ve built a solid pricing matrix to make sure every customer gets a quality service and value.”
Another key strength of their workshop is strong supplier relationships. Tammy knows that having a few trusted suppliers can make all the difference.
“When you build those connections, people will go above and beyond, whether it’s jumping in the car to deliver parts or helping us keep costs down. It’s about quality and reliability, which is what we have found with our suppliers.”
Looking Ahead
Her advice for others? “Take every opportunity to network. Go to trade shows, MTA events, meet like-minded people. There are incredible workshops out there doing amazing things and those connections are invaluable.”
Cyber criminals are always on the lookout for opportunities, with phishing scams targeting businesses of all sizes. Staying vigilant online is just as important as locking up your workshop at night, and we’re here to help you and your team stay safe.
Why phishing awareness matters
Phishing is one of the most common and costly cyber threats facing small businesses. It is a type of scam where cyber criminals impersonate trusted sources, often through email or texts that look genuine, but are designed to trick you or your team into clicking a malicious link, sharing sensitive information, or even making payments to fraudsters.
Most successful cyber-attacks succeed not because of technical flaws, but because someone is caught off guard or rushing. Taking a moment to think before acting is your best defence and it’s something we can all do, together.
How to spot a phishing email
Here are our five practical tips to
help you and your team stay safe:
Double check who it’s from
Look out for sneaky email addresses that mimic trusted ones but have small changes (e.g. contact@supplier.com.au vs contact@supplier-express.com.au). If something looks off, don’t click it.
Don’t let urgency cloud your judgement
Scammers love to use phrases like “Your account will be closed today!” or “Immediate action required” to make you act without thinking. Don’t let urgency steal your festive cheer, take a breath and check twice before you click.
Hover to uncover
Before you click any links, hover to preview the URL. If it looks suspicious or doesn’t match the sender’s organisation, it’s best to leave it unopened.
Look out for spelling mistakes and poor grammar
Watch for subtle spelling or grammar mistakes, even small errors can be a sign something’s off. If in doubt, verify the message by contacting the organisation using details you’ve found yourself, like from their official website. Always access secure portals or apps directly, never via email links.
Take extra precautions and protect your business with Cyber Insurance
The reality is that cybercrime is on the rise, with the Australian Cyber Security Centre receiving a report every six minutes, and the average attack costing a business nearly $50k.
Phishing scams are getting smarter so make sure your business is protected. It is not just about the right knowledge but also the right tools.
That’s why it’s important to have a safety net in place. In Australia, Capricorn offers Cyber Insurance through Capricorn Insurance Services, and in New Zealand, it is available through our insurance brokerage. Each service is designed to help your business recover quickly and reduce the financial and operational impact in case your targeted by cyber criminals.
What does Cyber Insurance cover?
Phishing attacks and credential theft
Denial of service and ransomware incidents
Point of sale intrusions and crimeware
Privacy errors and unauthorised data disclosure
Cyber response costs, business losses, and third-party claims (including loss of profits, IT forensics, PR costs, defence costs, and virus extraction)
Don’t wait until it’s too late!
At Capricorn, we’re here to help our Members stay safe on the road and online. Our team is here to help protect your business, all year round.
For more information on how Cyber Insurance can help protect your business, contact your local Risk Account Manager for more information, or simply call 0800 555 303 or email info@capricornrisk.com for assistance. No reputable company will ask for your passwords or credit card details via email, text or phone. If in doubt, check through official channels. Keep your information to yourself
ELEVATED
Cadillac’s evolution includes sci-fi concept cars and Formula 1
ELEVATED
When the world around you is changing fast, you have two options: throw everything at
the wall or hit the wall. You can try everything in your power to grow, to evolve, to keep up, to perhaps even lead. Or you can keep on going as you are, until one day you realise you’ve been left behind, and either you hit the wall, or the wall hits you.
Cadillac, that fine American brand perhaps most beloved for its classic makes of the 1950s, isn’t going to let that happen. It’s gone all in on evolution, and it wants you to know about it.
In late 2024, Cadillac unveiled the Opulent Velocity concept car, a radical all-electric 2+2 coupe with butterfly doors and a 3D-printed interior. A year later, we have the Elevated Velocity. It has a similar look, it’s also an all-electric 2+2, but it’s a crossover with gull-wing doors. It’s a small step down from Opulent to Elevated, but given the Elevated is designed with a bespoke polo set in the boot and was supposedly designed with “desert polo pursuits” in mind, some of us might have to wait for Cadillac to release the “Standard” Velocity or “This’ll-Do” Velocity versions before we get out our chequebooks. Design a boot around a football, Cadillac, then we can talk.
But who cares, right? This is a concept. They’re all about ideas. And ideas are all about change and evolution. Cadillac is looking for innovations that keep them relevant and position them as leaders in an all-electric future. So, what’s the Elevated Velocity rocking?
It’s a taller, off-road version of its Opulent counterpart. It’s sleek, with a fastback roofline and a raked windshield. The bonnet is long, though the weight sits over the rear axle. The front echoes Cadillac’s current grilles, the headlights are right out at the sides and there are crystalline LEDs that give it a science-fiction look. The rear has fluted LED taillights and yet more futuristic LED decorations behind a glass tailgate.
In short, the exterior is stunning, like no SUV we’ve ever seen. Then it’s riding on these illuminated 24-inch wheels that fill the arches, giving the car a reassuring solidity on the road, and air suspension, so it doesn’t feel like you’re on the road at all.
The interior of the concept is bright red, taking some of its style cues from the Lyriq and Celestiq. The car greets you with “Welcome Mode”, which includes the gull-wings opening and soft white backlighting. It’s not exactly Kit from Knight Rider, but it does have a welcome animation on the steering wheel that’s supposedly reminiscent of shifting desert sands. So, there’s that. Other modes are e-Velocity, for regular on-road driving, Terra mode for off-road driving (it raises the ride height) and Sand Vision, for better visibility in a sandstorm (which is niche, but handy if you need it). The car also has a neat little trick called “Elements Defy”, which allows it to vibrate itself clean of sand, dirt and dust. Now that is cool.
Many of the ideas in this series of concepts won’t ever go into production, but you can bet Cadillac is watching how we
respond to them and they’ll be fine-tuning and developing the best of them so they make it into the production vehicles we’re buying in the near future.
Cadillac wants their name on our lips when it comes to thinking about buying our next car. They want us excited about the brand. And what better way to achieve that than to join the Formula 1 circuit in 2026?
General Motors president Mark Reuss said the company was “thrilled the Cadillac Formula 1 team is official”. “The excitement only grows as we get closer to showcasing GM’s engineering expertise on the prestigious global stage of F1.”
Cadillac has done a deal with Ferrari to use their power units and gearboxes for their race team. They’ve hired star drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez to lead their campaign.
Team principal Graeme Lowdon told formula1.com the Cadillac team has been “doing a lot of testing and validation of individual components, things like testing noses, squeeze testing of chassis elements” and “now we can really push to come with the most competitive car that we can”. And that’s really what this is all about. Not just on the track, but on the forecourts of car dealerships all over the world.
Cadillac wants to be competitive. Cadillac isn’t just building cars; they’re building momentum. The automotive industry is on the precipice of major disruption and Cadillac, and their owners at GM, are determined to be a part of that change, throwing everything at the wall, rather than driving straight at it.
The Rise of AI in the Automotive Aftermarket
A New Era of Diagnostic Support with Tina
AThe automotive industry has always thrived on innovation and adaptability, but the
pace of technological change in recent years has been nothing short of extraordinary. As vehicle complexity skyrockets, artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as an indispensable ally in the aftermarket world, reshaping the way we approach office management, diagnostics, repairs, and technical learning.
This article will explore not only the broader impact of AI on our industry but also take you behind the scenes of TaT’s own groundbreaking development, Tech Tina, the industry’s first AI-powered Diagnostic Assistant.
AI’s Expanding Role in the Automotive Aftermarket
AI is quietly revolutionising the way aftermarket workshops run their businesses, not just under the bonnet, but behind the desk. In the office, AI is taking on the time-consuming administrative work that once kept owners and service advisors glued to their screens. Smart scheduling systems automatically book appointments, send reminders, and adjust calendars to fill cancellations. AI-assisted invoicing platforms can create, send, and reconcile invoices instantly, while
chatbots handle after-hours enquiries and online bookings, ensuring no customer goes unanswered.
AI tools are also changing how workshops manage their business performance. Intelligent dashboards track key metrics such as job profitability, technician efficiency, and parts usage, giving owners real-time insights that help them make better decisions without needing a data analyst.
While advancements in AI have been working wonders in the office, many technicians have remained hesitant to trust generic AI for diagnostic advice. The risks associated with inaccurate guidance or misinformation are simply too great, not just in wasted parts, but also in lost time and, most importantly, customer trust. For most technicians, the stakes have been too high to place their faith in unproven technology. That is, until now.
Enter Tina: Your New Diagnostic Assistant
Tina isn’t your average chatbot or a generic, off-the-shelf AI. She is the result of a vision championed by TaT director, Rod Maher, who recognised that the future of diagnostics lay not just in having access to accurate information and data, but in being able
to decipher and sort through the information in a timely manner. Drowning in too much information and not knowing where to start was becoming a problem.
With Rod’s guidance and involvement at every step, our team set out to create something game-changing: an AI built from the ground up with access to our vast databases of information 5,500 Repair solution case studies, 24,000 Good Scan & Scope data captures and 9,000 Fault code files.
Safer, Smarter, and Always Evolving - Why Tina is Different
Unlike generic AI platforms that indiscriminately scrape the open internet, risking outdated, inaccurate, or even unsafe advice, Tina’s expertise is tightly integrated with the trusted, curated resources of the TaT database, along with a tight set of technician-focussed guardrails to ensure information is also retrieved from high quality internet sources. This makes her inherently safer and more reliable for automotive professionals.
These safeguards ensure that TaT members receive relevant, safe, and workshop-tested advice, not the “generic guesses” that so often characterise broad-use AI.
In today’s industry, where one wrong test procedure can destroy an expensive module or sensor, this level of precision is non-negotiable.
How Tina Assists Members in the Real World
What sets Tina apart isn’t just her technical competence, but her practicality. Above all, she is designed to search our enormous database for you, instantly surfacing the exact Repair solutions, Scan or Scope data files, fault code pathways, or case studies you need. No more trawling through mountains of files or hunting for that elusive magazine article.
Let’s look at just some specific examples of Tina’s practical utility:
1. Diagnosing Diesel DPF Issues: When faced with a modern diesel suffering DPF problems, Tina instantly references Australian-relevant repair data and highlights diagnostic steps tailored for our fuels, climate, and regulations, while advising on safe chemical cleaning methods rather than recommending risky forced regenerations.
2. Circuit and Sensor Faults: If a member reports a sensor circuit low input code, Tina considers the code description and walks
the technician through every relevant step, focusing on the correct diagnostic order, the right tests to perform, and what the technician should be aiming to confirm at each stage. She understands the importance of load testing over resistance testing.
3. Interpreting Range/Performance Codes: Tina has been trained to understand that range/ performance codes on sensors can indicate a mechanical fault, not just a sensor or circuit problem.
All of these steps happen in real time, with each recommendation backed by links to detailed technical articles, solutions, and test procedures sourced directly from our own archives, not random sources or backyarder forums.
Your own 24/7 Diagnostic assistant
As the skills gap in the automotive repair industry widens and vehicles grow ever more complex, Tina serves as every member’s personal on demand “diagnostic assistant”. Whether it’s after-hours, during a high-pressure diagnostic job, or when faced with an unfamiliar fault code, Tina provides tailored diagnostic guidance in seconds.
Independent workshops and their staff are gaining the confidence to handle even the most complex late-model vehicles, enhancing both their reputation and their bottom line.
Simplify filling up with Capricorn Fuel Card
Accepted by a wide range of stations across New Zealand, the Capricorn Fuel Card lets you fill up without the fuss.
Just scan your card at a participating service station and the transactions will be automatically added to your Trade Account.
Save 8 cents off a litre (incl. GST) at the pump at participating service stations
Accepted at over 290 Mobil, Allied Fuel Stop, NPD and Waitomo fuel stations
Unlimited number of cards
csl@capricorn.coop
Fun Zone
Submit your entry at cap.coop/funzone by 28 February 2026 No winner in December.
10,000 Bonus Reward Points will be awarded to February’s winner.
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