CUSTOMER STORIES 100 YEARS OF CATERPILLAR
His path to an apprenticeship started in 2021, when he completed his pre-trade at UCOL in light automotive engineering. By April that year, he’d secured some work experience at Terra. “I did it for pretty much the whole year, right through to the recruitment process for the apprenticeship. It all kind of just fell into place,” Jaxon says. “I loved working with the guys there, and I guess I did something right because they ended up offering me the apprenticeship. It’s been awesome.” Terra Cat technical training manager Dylan Cairns says all three technicians showed impressive skill and dedication throughout this year’s competition. “Watching Jaxon grow from his first day doing work experience to where he is now has been rewarding. His first day was spent with me out in my old service ute, so it feels only fitting I was there throughout his transformation from apprentice to technician and ultimately onto Terra’s top apprentice. He’s got a great career ahead of him.” Now a qualified heavy diesel technician at our Palmerston North Branch, Jaxon’s looking forward to prepping for the Melbourne competition. “It’ll be pretty crazy, to be completely honest. Just to think that a Palmy North tech gets to go over there and take on the fellas from across Australasia. It’s a pretty cool feeling.” JAXON BAGRIE IS TERRA CAT’S TOP APPRENTICE
As Caterpillar celebrates 100 years, we honour the people who’ve made it possible. Your trust in Caterpillar and Terra Cat drives us to keep innovating, improving, and delivering machines and solutions that meet the demands of your work. Your partnership is the foundation of our success, and we’re proud to stand with you as we take on the next 100 years.
WINSTONE AGGREGATES NZ
Palmerston North’s Jaxon Bagrie has taken home the title of Terra’s Top Apprentice for 2025. This year’s internal top apprentice competition was one of the closest yet, with Jaxon facing off against Auckland’s Josh Partridge and Dunedin-based Blain Mann for a spot at the Asia-Pacific finals in Melbourne in 2026. “I’m really glad I decided to have a crack at it,” says Jaxon. “I wasn’t even expecting to make the final three, so just to be competing felt like a huge achievement already. It was even more of a shock to win the thing.” The technicians were first tested on their public speaking, delivering short presentations to a panel of assessors before tackling the practical stations. “Diagnosing an engine knock without Electronic Technician (ET) was a decent challenge. You were being tested purely on what you knew about engines, no technology. And working on the turbocharger, it was a good chance to go through the reuse and salvage guidelines.” “The presentation though... I thought my run was over from the moment I started,” he laughs. “But it turned out to be a good experience and we got some useful feedback.” Having wrapped up his apprenticeship in September 2025, Jaxon said he went into the competition hoping to hone his skills further. “The main takeaway for me was really just how important it is to take your time, and to always keep taking in all the knowledge you can. I know I’ve definitely still got a hell of a lot to learn,” he says. “But that’s all good. There are a lot of really experienced guys at Terra, and that’s because they’re still learning to this day.” A Levin local, Jaxon says that growing up surrounded by earthmoving machines made this career path an easy decision. Choosing Terra Cat was similarly simple. “Every Cat machine I’d either operated or worked on – it was just fantastic. And then doing a bit of research and talking to people, I was told you don’t get the level of training anywhere else like you get it here.”
View the video here.
Winstone Aggregates has come a long way in 160 years. Originally running operations with horse and cart, they now produce roading products, concrete and asphalt while operating over 30 pieces of Cat equipment. Quarry Supervisor Whio Hutchinson and his team have been busy completing projects like the Waterview Tunnel, the Eastern Busway Alliance and a new airport runway. And with help from the Terra Cat team and technology like VisionLink, there isn’t a job they can’t do.
SUMMIT CIVIL & MAUNGATUA CONTRACTING
View the video here.
For Blair and Kane Duncan, earthmoving is in their blood. Growing up in the family construction business, they were just 14 when they first sat in a Cat machine. Founded by their grandfather in 1958, Maungatua Contracting has been building communities across Otago for over 65 years. In the 1970s, their father took over the company, shifting its focus toward civil construction and larger projects. Today, Maungatua remains family-owned, with Kane serving as general manager and Blair as the owner of Summit Civil. While Cat machines remain the pick of the machinery with their heated seats in Otago’s winters, it’s Trimble GPS, VisionLink, and support from the Terra team that help the Duncan brothers get the job done.
Find more Caterpillar customer stories here.
10
11
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator