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 completed a diesel mechanics apprenticeship in the trucking industry, eventually obtaining an A grade diesel mechanics qualification. Pete’s first significant mechanical achievement was successfully 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 4WD, quad bikes (starting with the first mechanised trikes) tractors and farm bikes. Utilising chainsaws came later during a two year stint as a full time firewood merchant. In his career he has also held positions as A grade diesel mechanic, alternative fuels installer, fleet mechanic, machine operator on tractors, bulldozers, scrapers and trucks, service manager of a trucking company, professional possum trapper and shooter operating off quad bikes, fleet manager and 4WD training manager and tour guide. Pete holds all the relevant unit standards for 4WD (including Advanced WD instructors certification and Specialist 4WD instructors certification from Landrover HQ in England), Quad bike, Light Utility Vehicle, Tractor, Chainsaw and Open Spaces Mowing. |
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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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