19/10/2026
Rhys Willemen is Terra’s Top Apprentice for 2026! 🏆
After two days of tough competition, the Whangārei heavy diesel field service tech took the top spot. It was closely fought, with very little separating Rhys from Palmerston North’s Josh Sporle as they vied for a spot at next year’s Asia Pacific finals in Melbourne.
“It feels pretty awesome to take the win,” said Rhys. “It was a lot of pressure, but that also brought out new ideas and thinking. It was just a matter of following your process and working through the systems.”
Rhys joined Terra as an apprentice four years ago. He initially earned an engineering qualification and worked for a few years before deciding to pursue a career in heavy diesel, and it’s a move he’s never regretted.
“I love the variety of equipment we get to work on, and getting out in the field. Engineering was often big projects where you’re based in one location for a long time, whereas with field service you’re exploring a lot more, seeing some awesome parts of the country.”
Outside of work, Rhys is restoring a 1990 Mazda 626 GT as a replica of his first car.
“My technical skills definitely transfer across: find the fault, identify the potential causes and work through testing them until you figure it out.”
Congratulations, Rhys! 👏
