Natural Instincts
Pete Ritchie
Meet Pete
Ritchie, Natural Instincts Managing Director and company
founder.
Pete is directly responsible for Consultancy, Corporate events / Team Building, and Tag-a-Long adventure enquiries.
Pete oversees all activities under the Natural Instincts umbrella but likes to delegate day to day responsibility to those best suited to the task. He is a knowledge source on all things 4wd and is available to assist any part of the business where requested.
His particular fields of interest lay in working at the cutting edge of vehicle changes and technology. His connections within the motoring industry aid in this field aid in keeping training content at the cutting edge.
Pete formed the company Natural Instincts Ltd in 2000 after a lifetime in the motoring / training industry.
"I think I was conceived in a 4WD" say's Pete as he tries to explain why he's never found far away from one.
Born and raised in rural New Zealand, Pete has always had a love affair with 4WD vehicles. As soon as he was old enough to drive he spent all his spare time exploring the "outback" of New Zealand. Camping, hunting, fishing, and diving his way from North Cape to the Bluff.
During the early years he made all the usual mistakes associated with off road travel. Everything from getting stuck in every conceivable situation to spending unexpected nights out beside broken 4WD's. "You soon figure out that there are right and wrong ways to do things" say's Pete.
As his career as an "A grade" mechanic moved him around the country he joined the local 4wd clubs and improved his skills by taking advise and watching the old hands at work. Eventually he took the helm of the Geyserland 4WD club and did three consecutive years as its president before moving on to help form the Land Rover enthusiasts club in Rotorua.
Pete's introduction into the "professional" world of 4wding was with the then fledgling company "Off Road NZ". A husband and wife business, Pete was their first employee and assisted in the development of sustainable tracks and guiding methods and assisted in running teambuilding activities. Among many accolades Off road NZ went on to win the New Zealand Tourism boards "supreme" business award.
His passion to develop his "instructing skills" led Pete to another company where he was "noticed" by Land Rover NZ. He went on to develop and run training courses for LR and fronted a video on driving methods and environmental considerations. During this time he had the privilege to travel to England as a guest to complete the Instructors and Specialists training courses run by Land Rover at Eastnor castle.
Pete eventually branched out to form his own company "Natural Instincts" specialising in off road driver training and 4WD Tag-a-Long adventures. This has opened new doors and he has done everything from demonstrating 4WD vehicles for manufacturers, training dealer staff, to playing the 4WD expert on the television series "Ford Outdoor Pursuits"
In recent years he has been in high demand as a 4wd consultant to vehicle manufacturers.
For the
last six years he has split his time between testing and
launching new vehicles, training dealer staff on the
practical technology applications as they come on stream and
wo
rking
as a husband / wife team at shows running a roll frame
device.
Termed the “Roll frame” this device was conceptualized, designed, themed and run by Pete and Deb at events all over the country in conjunction with Nissan New Zealand. Pete sold the concept to NNZ who took up the challenge and funded its building and use.
Pete and Deb have spent nearly the whole working year for the last six years permanently on the road demonstrating the roll frame and running off road driving demonstrations. These regional dealer based events showcased the latest technological advances for Nissan, and other selected vehicle brands.
Owning to a major downturn in the New Zealand Motoring economy the project has been shelved from its full time operation and will only be seen on rare occasions until things pick up.
This has freed up Pete and Debs time to build on the consultancy, adventure and event side of the company.
The underlying theme to Pete's entire adult life has involved safe off road travel and adventure. He has been involved with the production of videos and has done a couple of television presentations on the subject. He has been successful in making a career out of his hobby. He is passionate about safety and ensuring environmental sustainability for off road travel.