Endorsed by Toyota NZ delivering 4 wheel drive training including ATV training, consulting services and 4WD team building activities since 2000
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Natural Instincts was formed in 2000 by company director Pete Ritchie to deliver high quality 4 wheel drive training as well as courses for quad bikes, Light Utility Vehicles and tractors. The company quickly developed key relationships with 4WD vehicle manufacturers and contracted to both demonstrate vehicles off road and train dealership staff in product knowledge and capabilities. Vehicle importers Natural Instincts has worked with include Nissan, Volkswagen, Kia, Suzuki, Ford and Toyota. All 4WD vehicle, quads and LUV brands are catered for on training courses and customised manuals are developed as required. Demonstrating the company's diversity in the past it has provided professional development to the RNZAF vehicle based training school instructors based in Blenheim, contracted to deliver rural courses through Vertical Horizons, trained sales staff on vehicle technology and sales techniques and written training manuals for Taratahi Training College for quad bikes, farm bikes and Light Utility Vehicles and has provided professional development for Taratahi tutors.
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Who We Are |
Natural Instincts is endorsed by Toyota NZ and supported by a strong management team. The company also utilises the services of a highly qualified team of sub-contractors who have been professionally developed by Natural Instincts.
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Pete Ritchie, Managing Director
Pete was born and initially raised on a large sheep and cattle farm in the Wairarapa. He left school early and completed a diesel mechanics apprenticeship in the trucking industry, obtaining his A grade qualification by age 18yrs. Pete’s first significant mechanical achievement was completing a valve grind on a school teachers car unsupervised when he was 14 years old! From an early age Pete developed and nurtured a passion for off-road mechanised transport, including quad bikes (starting with the first with mechanised gnats, trikes, then on to farm bikes, quads, tractors, bulldozers etc. Utilizing chainsaws began while at boarding school collecting firewood for the boilers/heating system and honed later over a two year stint as a firewood merchant. In his career he has held positions as a farm bike franchise holder, heavy fleet workshop mechanic then foreman onto Service manager, machine operator of trucks, bulldozers, agricultural machinery and motor scrapers, professional possum trapper and shooter operating off quad bikes, fleet manager, 4wd training manager and tour guide. Pete has worked with a wide range of light 4wd manufacturers throughout his working career and has been retained for many years now by Toyota NZ as their sme for fleet and new product development and testing support. He is in high demand across commercial fleets as a technical expert in his field. Pete was involved in the development of 4wd unit standards in nz and has mentored trainers and produced training materials for a large range of NZ commercial training providers. He holds qualifications for all elements and holds Advanced 4wd, instructors and specialist driving qualifications from LandRover HQ England as their guest, and is a qualified trainer with the International Technical Rescue Association (ITRA) in off-road vehicle driving/recovery. |
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Deborah Ritchie, Personal Assistant
Pete's wife Deb attends every corporate event to assist where required and to look after the team. Effectively she's the teams mother! Deb's past experience includes working as a lab assistant for a Crown Research Institute and has worked as a 4WD Trainer with Natural Instincts working with corporate clients and vehicle manufacturers. She holds all relevant 4WD unit standard qualifications. For Deb the highlight of the job is the people she meets and works with, the places she goes to and the variety of work and life experiences she is exposed to. She especially enjoys working with others just as passionate about vehicles as she and Pete are such as the team at Toyota New Zealand. Now semi retired in her spare time she enjoys gardening, looking after a bird aviary and ticking items on her travel list. |
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