Motorcycle HQ is a longstanding Pahiatua based business that sells motorbikes to customers all over the Tararua district and beyond. They are proud of their excellent relations with their customers, and of their passion for motorbikes. They have a dedicated team of mechanics providing top-quality workmanship, including 17-year-old apprentice Lachlan McKay. He is one of the 56 young people in Tararua who has been supported by the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs this financial year.

According to Simon and Carolyn Windelborn, the business owners; “It’s always a gamble taking on a new employee. Lachlan used to be green as, but he was prepared to put the effort in. In the past 8 months he has absolutely blossomed. It’s all clicking. His service turnaround time has reduced significantly, and he has just managed to sort out a complex electrical problem by himself.”
Lachlan has a few more years to go to finish his apprenticeship and ‘still heaps to learn’. However, he also acknowledges that his work has improved a lot since he started his work at Motorcycle HQ; ‘I have recently managed to do a full engine rebuild.’  Like everybody else at Motorcycle HQ he has a passion for motorbikes and loves to work on his Husqvarna TC250 in his free time.

“It is key to have good tools to do the job”, says Simon. “But good tools are expensive, and the upfront costs can be a lot for young people and businesses too, who often have to put up the money first to buy the tools, after which they are gradually paid back by the employees. Support to cover these costs really helps.’

According to Tararua District Mayor Tracey: “There is nothing more satisfying than helping people with employment and becoming a more confident person. Since starting in mid- 2020 until now, the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs programme  has supported 210  young people with employment. This is a huge success which could not have been achieved without all the local businesses that have employed local people.”

The Mayors Taskforce for Jobs is a nationwide network of New Zealand’s Rural Mayors, all striving to reduce youth unemployment in their districts. The Mayors Taskforce for Jobs programme connects employers with young people seeking employment, provides pastoral care where needed, identifies training needs and requirements for available roles, and then helps to fill the need.

In the Tararua District the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs Programme  has been able to match young people with jobs right across the local employment spectrum, including construction, engineering, mechanics, plumbing, fencing, electrical, hairdressing, retail, farming, and conservation.

For more information about the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs people can email: mtfj@tararuadc.govt.nz.