One owner’s path from the tools to building something that lasts
How Nik built a workshop on honesty, hard work, and a love for helping people A workshop reshaped by efficiency, clarity, and service
New
Gisborne
10 March 2026
Hawkes
11 March 2026
Taupo Trade
12 March 2026
NZ
13 March 2026
March 2026
March is a time to celebrate the people who power our industry, the business owners, the teams in workshops and offices, and the next generation coming through.
With International Women’s Day on 8 March, it’s important to recognise the growing contribution women are making across the automotive industry. Women now make up around 22% of the automotive workforce, with participation steadily increasing in both trade and technical roles. Encouragingly, the number of female qualified mechanics has almost doubled over the past few years, and 16% of workshops now employ a female apprentice. Whether on the tools, in leadership, administration, or customer-facing roles, women play a vital part in keeping our businesses running and our industry moving forward.
March also sees the opening of Capricorn Rising Stars, which is always a highlight of the year. Rising Stars provides a fantastic opportunity to recognise exceptional apprentices and celebrate the workshops that invest in developing their people. With apprentices critical to addressing ongoing skills shortages, it’s encouraging that more than 70% of workshops have employed an apprentice, and many intend to do so again in the future. The program will follow the same format as last year, and I’m looking forward to celebrating another outstanding group of Rising Stars with our Community.
Looking ahead, our annual State of the Nation research will be launching next month, giving Members the opportunity to share what’s happening in their businesses. This research plays a critical role in shaping real change. By capturing insights from workshops across Australia and New Zealand, we’re able to advocate with credibility for the workforce, training, and policy changes that matter most to small businesses. These insights directly influence our Skills Strategy, our advocacy priorities, and the support Capricorn delivers throughout the year. When the survey lands in your inbox, I encourage you to take the time to complete it, your voice is backed by 32,000 small businesses; and together, we can influence change.
Thank you for everything you do as part of our Community.
I look forward to working together as we continue supporting a strong and sustainable automotive industry.
Brad Gannon Group CEO
One owner’s path from the tools to building something that lasts.
How Nik built a workshop on honesty, hard work, and a love for helping people.
A workshop reshaped by efficiency, clarity, and service.
Part of the community that keeps Auckland rolling.
One owner’s path from the tools to building something that lasts
Some people grow up knowing exactly what they want to do. Others stumble into it by following their instincts, which is exactly what happened to Hayden Koolen who discovered a craft he was made for. For Hayden, owner of James & Kingsbeer Collision Repair, the path from leaving school to becoming a respected business owner hasn’t been straightforward, it’s been driven by passion, persistence, and the people around him.
“I decided one day it was time to leave school,” he says with a laugh.
“I walked into the dean’s office, and they handed me a pamphlet for a pre-trade course. That was it.”
That decision led him straight into a local truck painting business, his first real taste of the industry. He stayed there for seven years.
“I loved it. Great people, great work. I had a really good time there,” he says. “That’s what hooked me: the people and the satisfaction you get from good paintwork.”
After seven years, Hayden decided to try something new and moved into car painting. Twelve months later, he and a close mate packed up and headed to Hamilton, where they spent 18 months painting aeroplanes. It was challenging, technical, and different from anything he’d done before.
“It was cool work. But eventually, I knew I wanted to get back to what I really loved,” he says.
That love pulled him back into town, at Palmerston North, painting hot rods, work that reignited the passion he felt right back at the start.
Now, years later, he owns his own collision repair business specialising in insurance work, fast turnarounds, and high quality paint finishes.
“I don’t have the patience for long projects anymore, give me the quick turnarounds. Get them in, fix them right, get them back to the customer.”
Hayden’s advice for other business owners is simple, choose the people you are surrounded by carefully.
From suppliers; through to friends, colleagues, customers and everyone.
“It’s always the people. The ones you work with, your suppliers, your foreman, everyone that’s key to your success.”
Hayden’s local paint supplier looks after them, the distributors in town are “great people”, and the insurance contracts they’ve built help keep work consistent.
Inside the workshop, the culture is strong. The ten-person team includes several long-standing employees who have worked alongside Hayden for years, even moving between businesses with him.
“We’ve only had this business for just over 12 months, but we ran another shop for five years before this. The team followed. That says something.”
His panel shop foreman is, as Hayden puts it, “incredibly smart and knows his stuff”.
“He can sense when something’s not right. He’ll put his hand up, ask for help, check things twice. That’s the kind of person you want leading your floor.”
In an industry where everyone claims to be different, Hayden is refreshingly direct.
“Honestly, most shops can say the same things. But what I’ll say is, we do a good job. We won’t let rubbish repairs go out the door.”
He’s firm on that point.
“No one makes money if the car comes back twice. Quality is always faster and more economical in the long run.”
Challenges: time, space, and the unpredictable
The hardest part of running a collision repair business?
“Getting vehicles back to customers when we say we will,” he says. “You can plan for a week, but unexpected problems always show up.”
That’s part of the reason they bought their newest location.
“We needed a bigger shop. More room, more opportunity to grow, and space to move things properly. When this business came up for sale, we jumped.”
Now, with ten staff and more work than ever, the goal is expansion.
“We need a new spray booth. That’s the next step. More capacity, more vehicles, faster turnarounds.”
Hayden has spent his entire career learning from others, foremen, colleagues, suppliers, other business owners, and he sees that as another key to success.
“Ask questions. Surround yourself with good people. Staff, suppliers, insurance companies, if you’re not sure about something, pick up the phone.”
His advice isn’t just for owners, but for anyone in the trade.
“Call other shops. Bounce ideas off each other. There are people all over the country who are willing to help.”
Another piece of advice? Invest in apprentices.
“We’ve got two. They don’t make you money for a while, but they’re worth it. Someone has to train the next generation. Apprentice wages barely cover living, so any help you can give makes a difference.”
Why he still loves the work
Hayden lights up when he talks about paintwork.
“I love a great paint job. Seeing it from start to finish is so rewarding.”
Of course, owning a business isn’t all paint guns and polishing.
“There’s a lot of admin, a lot of paperwork. It’s not glamorous. Not everyone is making big money.”
But the trade off?
“Freedom. Flexibility. If the kids have sport, I can be there. And the guys who work for me get that same flexibility. If you want people to stay, you’ve got to keep them happy.”
At its core, Hayden’s philosophy is simple: “It’s not about taking, you’ve got to give.”
Hayden’s journey wasn’t mapped out. He followed opportunities, chased experience, learned from everyone around him, and built a business based on skill, loyalty, and genuine care for quality.
For other Capricorn Members, his story is a reminder that success in this industry is about people, passion, and the courage to back yourself.
How Nik built a workshop on honesty, hard work, and a love for helping people
Some careers are mapped out. Others grow slowly and steadily from the values you pick up early in life. For Nik Fowlie, owner of Auto SS EuroTech in Hamilton, the journey from farm kid to workshop owner wasn’t about chasing fame or building a name; it was about doing good work, being honest, and looking after the people who put their trust in him.
Growing up on a farm in Pukekohe, Nik learned how to fix anything that broke. Tractors, motorbikes, trucks, machinery, if it stopped working, the family got it going again. “You just mucked in and sorted things out,” he says. “That’s where I found out I liked solving problems.”
That early curiosity slowly grew into a love for cars, especially fast ones. The car culture of the early 2000s was raw, simple, and genuine, long before every moment could be recorded on a phone or posted on social media. “It was a really good time. People were just into cars for the fun of it,” he says.
Nik became an apprentice in 2001, earning his NZ Level 4 Engineering qualification in 2006. Over the years, he has worked in a wide range of automotive environments, European workshops, heavy diesel, farm machinery, and even turbochargers.
His early job in Huntly, a coal-mining town, exposed him to everything. “If it had an engine, we worked on it,” he says. “It taught me a lot.”
That broad experience became the backbone of his technical confidence. But as his skills grew, Nik realised he wanted more control over his work, and more balance in his life.
Nik was working in a dealership when the opportunity to work for David and Geoff came up. He applied for a role opening a new store in Hamilton Central for the largest group of automotive workshops in New Zealand, and together with his good mate, decided to take a chance on it.
At first, it was a blank canvas. Between installing hoists, completing the fit-out, and building systems from the ground up, they quickly created a workshop culture that people wanted to be part of.
After three years in the business, David and Geoff offered Nik the opportunity to forge his own path, take charge, and become an owner. To make it happen, Nik worked long hours and sold everything he could to pull together a deposit.
In April 2022, Nik officially took over as an owner.
“David Story and Geoff Harper gave me a shot,” he says. “They’ve helped a lot of people. They deserve a medal. They’re my heroes, honestly.”
A big motivation was his daughter, who is now nine. “There’s no way I could be a single dad without owning my own business. I can now afford to be a single parent, and I can be there for school dropoffs and holidays. That means everything.”
Today, Nik has four staff. He pays well above industry rates, not just to attract talent, but to keep them. “They’ve stayed with me from the start. With no turnover, that is huge in this industry. If you look after your people, they stay.”
Although the workshop handles all makes and models, Nik has unintentionally become the ‘go-to specialist’ for a certain type of Mazda engine, a diesel 2.2L, which is known to have a lot of faults. Nik rebuilds them.
“I’ve done 56 of them over three or so years,” he says. “It wasn’t planned. It just happened because we kept seeing the same problems, so we became experts.”
Word spread quietly, then quickly, thanks to something Nik never expected to lean on: TikTok.
One day, Nik serviced a car for a customer, but it was a quick job so he didn’t charge him. Unbeknownst to Nik, that customer happened to be a digital marketing specialist and, in return, offered him some advice and suggested that Nik get on TikTok. Nik started posting short videos with fellow technician Ethan, nothing flashy, just real workshop moments. “We were just having fun with it,” he says. “I didn’t think anyone would care.” But people did.
It was very slow at first, but then one day they had a car come into the shop that had been very poorly fixed. Nik jumped on TikTok and posted a video showing all the issues, what needed to be fixed, why, and how. The video went viral, and in three days it had over 1 million views, with Nik gaining 3,500+ new followers.
When that one video took off, suddenly customers were shipping cars from across New Zealand. “It’s strange how things work sometimes. We’re not trying to be influencers. We just show the work honestly and with personality.”
TikTok has also helped customers, as they now reach out for advice from far and wide across New Zealand. It has helped Nik connect with people who are not in his immediate surroundings.
Through it all, Nik has held tightly to one principle: be upfront and fair. “We don’t start anything without a proper quote. It protects everyone.” Every invoice is broken down clearly. If something can be shown visually, it is. If a job only takes five minutes, he often won’t charge. “It’s how I’d want to be treated,” he says simply.
The approach works. His Google reviews (around 250 of them, almost all five stars) reflect a workshop built on trust and respect, not flashiness. “I’m grateful for every customer who walks in the door, and we make sure to treat everyone well and fairly,” he says.
With nearly 25 years in the industry, Nik’s advice for other Capricorn Members is practical and genuine:
Surround yourself with good people
“It makes the hard days easier and the good days better.”
Stay transparent with customers
“Explain the job properly.
Don’t leave people guessing.”
Nik has visual aids around the workshop to help with explaining things to customers.
Look after apprentices
“They need support. Someone taught us, we need to do the same.”
Don’t be afraid of social media
“You don’t need to be perfect. Just be real. TikTok has by far been our best form of marketing.”
Keep learning “There’s always something new to understand.”
Nik built his business by staying grounded, working hard, and caring for people, staff, customers, and anyone who walks through the workshop doors.
As Nik puts it: “I just try to help people and do a good job. If you can do that consistently, everything else tends to follow.”
A workshop reshaped by efficiency, clarity, and service
When Nav Turner bought his workshop, Wheel Repair Services in Auckland, in June last year, he walked into a business that was surviving, but not set up to thrive. With only two staff on the floor, ageing equipment and limited stock on hand, the previous owner had been preparing for retirement and keeping operations minimal.
Fast forward just seven months, and the business has undergone a major transformation. Revenue has increased month to month since June, turnaround times to fit four tyres and carry out a wheel alignment has been slashed from 1.5 days to just 45 minutes, and the team has grown from two to five technicians.
The secret, Nav says, comes down to a simple philosophy: value people’s time, deliver real customer service and plan ahead.
“The car is a way of life for a lot of us. If you don’t have your vehicle, it’s a big inconvenience.”
One of Nav’s first priorities was addressing stock levels. Nav says about 90% of jobs come from walkin customers, but the previous owner often didn’t have what those customers needed. That meant jobs were delayed, bookings pushed to the next day and opportunities lost.
“First thing I did was to make sure our stock levels were right. And that comes from data. You’ve got to go through the data. Look at what sells, what doesn’t sell. Work with the suppliers because obviously they’ve got the history at what are the fast movers.”
With better stock management, the workshop could finally operate at the pace customers expected. But Nav didn’t stop there. He added three new team members to increase capacity and invested heavily in new equipment –including a ‘smart’ balancer that uses AI to shave time off every tyre job.
“When I bought in, I looked at where are the bottlenecks. What was slowing us down. I noticed that as soon as we were able to fit the tyres, the biggest hold up was when we were balancing the tyres, you know? We were using a manual balancer.”
“The smart balancer cost me a fortune, but it’s 50% faster because it’s all automated. People don’t want to invest in new gear, but for me it’s about speed and efficiency. Time is money.”
The impact of all these changes was immediate. Turnaround times dropped dramatically. What once took a day and a half – four tyres and an alignment – now takes just 45 minutes.
“That’s because A) we have the stock, and B) we have the staff to do it.”
Nav introduced a more deliberate product mix too, shifting the workshop to a 50–50 split between premium and budget tyres. The decision wasn’t only about margins – though premium tyres do offer “a bit more fat”, as he puts it – but also about giving customers genuine choice.
While transforming the workshop has been a major success, Nav is already looking ahead. He’s launched one automotive e-commerce business focusing on selling batteries and is in the process of launching a second, with plans to expand nationwide.
“What some automotive businesses don’t do well is the e-commerce side of things. That’s the future. Everyone is on their phone buying stuff. You’ve got to have a strong online presence.”
He expects the battery business alone to become the workshop’s second biggest revenue stream within five months, providing yet another pillar of growth.
While Nav has worked to make his workshop faster, more efficient and hightech, he hasn’t lost his focus on good old customer service. With today’s customers being better informed than ever, it’s important to Nav that as soon as the customer walks in the door, he’s got the people, the equipment and stock ready to meet their needs.
“When people come in, they don’t want to be sitting there the whole day getting stuff done. You’ve got to be able to turn it around quickly for them. It needs to be in a proper way and a proper job. And having the right equipment helps a lot. Having the right stock helps a lot. Having the right number of people… these are all the factors that need to work together to achieve that.”
And for Nav, the results speak for themselves – faster service, a stronger team, steady revenue growth and a business that’s only just getting started.
You’ve got to go through the data. Look at what sells, what doesn’t sell. Work with the suppliers because obviously they’ve got the history at what are the fast movers.”
- Nav
With so many workshops focused on growth, efficiency and keeping up with demand, it’s easy for the idea of community to fade into the background. But for Tyran and Amber Dawson at Progress Automotive, community is a big part of how the small, family-owned business continues to thrive.
Tyran was just eight years old when a local fired up a V8 outside his suburban home. The visceral, thunderous sound, the vapours of fuel and burnt rubber – it all hit at once, sending shocks of adrenaline through him at every rev. It was love at first skid.
“I just thought, man, I want to work on cool cars.”
By the time he was 15, Tyran was already working as a mechanic through a leisure school, and from that point on, the automotive industry was it. V8s were the original passion, but today Progress Automotive works on everything from modern vehicles to classics, and even vintage cars dating back to the late 20s. Those older cars often arrive through word of mouth.
“Someone will say, ‘That’s not really my cup of tea,’ but then they’ll send the customer here. That only happens when there’s trust.”
Tyran has owned Progress Automotive for five years, and while the business has grown significantly in that time, his approach hasn’t changed.
“I’ve grown up in this area. A lot of our customers have too. We’re part of the community, and that matters.”
That sense of belonging shows up in the small things. Helping elderly locals with flat batteries, giving advice (without charging for it) and taking the time to look after the people. Not just the cars.
“Other workshops might charge for that sort of thing. But if you help people, you get lifetime customers. It’s a give and take.”
Even with eight other workshops nearby, Tyran believes strongly in working with those around him, not against them.
“We keep in touch, share tools, and help each other out. If something’s not for us, we’ll send it on; and they do the same.”
It’s this mindset that keeps Progress Automotive busy even when others slow down.
“When a lot of workshops are quiet, we’re still pumping. That comes from being part of the community, not chasing every dollar.”
That community connection goes well beyond the workshop. Tyran actively supports local touch rugby teams and representative squads, often linked to his kids’ involvement in sport.
“Pretty much anything my kids are involved in, I’ll try to support.”
The impact is real.
“People come in and say, ‘I saw your sign at my kid’s game, we’ll bring our cars here.’ Even one car makes it worthwhile.”
For Tyran, it’s nothing to do with marketing, it’s about helping kids and families and being present where the community already gathers.
Like many in the industry, Tyran sees the shortage of skilled mechanics as one of the biggest challenges facing automotive today.
“Finding staff, and keeping the right staff, that’s the hardest part.”
His answer is simple and grounded in old-school values: invest in apprentices and help them through the tough years.
“You might be stuck for a couple of years, but if you do it right, you might get ten years out of them.”
It’s a mutual, respectful relationship.
“You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. If I’m making money, you’re making money. It’s got to work both ways.”
With more work than ever coming through the doors, Tyran’s biggest challenge now is the business side: paperwork, admin and finding the right support so he can get some balance back.
Support from Capricorn has helped make parts of that easier, particularly around insurances and admin, freeing up time to focus on the workshop and the people in it.
After half a decade of ownership, Progress Automotive continues to grow - not just because of the cars it works on, but because of the community those cars represent.
“Cars bring people together. Families, kids, neighbours… that’s what keeps this place going.”
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