So it is no surprise she has gone on to become the first woman in New Zealand to complete the Motor Industry Training Organisation’s (MITO) level 5 heavy automotive engineering qualification.
‘‘Growing up on a farm, I did help my dad out quite a bit, working around on the tractor.
‘‘He’s a very handy man, so I learned quite a bit off him.
‘‘He was like, ‘Hand me that wrench, love’, and that was my introduction to it.’’
‘‘I’m being honest - I was surprised.
‘‘I thought, you know, there’s lots of women in this industry now.
‘‘I knew that there was a lot of people doing the qualification. I just assumed there was other women.
‘‘I didn’t think I’d be the first. It’s unreal.’’
Ms Davies is a diesel technician for Go Bus Dunedin, helping to keep about 150 of the company’s buses on the road.
For the past year, she has been gaining credits for her qualification by doing her everyday work at Go Bus.
‘‘There was a couple of theoreticals about leadership and management - how you manage a workshop and how you go through different jobs and allocating work.
‘‘And then you had all the practicals, which went into your engine, driveline, air systems, electrical faults, all that sort of thing.
‘‘It was mostly complex diagnosis and fault finding, and then a little was on the repair.’’
After leaving school, she decided to study mechanical engineering at Otago Polytechnic.
‘‘Every day is different - no job is the same.
‘‘Yesterday, for instance, I finished diagnosing this ‘hard-start, smoke-under-load bus’, and then got everything prepared for the repair.
‘‘And then today, I’ve just been doing some servicing.’’
Despite being the only woman on the workshop floor, she was well respected by her male colleagues.
‘‘I think everyone here has their own strengths and weaknesses, so we just help each other out as a team.’’
Go Bus depot manager Leigh Greensmith said Ms Davies’ colleagues were proud of her major achievement.
‘‘She does a great job. She mucks in. She does what all her male colleagues can do - even a lot better.
‘‘She’s very well respected by all the drivers as well. Everybody goes to her for advice.’’
Ms Davies said every time her phone rang now, it was usually a friend asking her to help fix their car.
‘‘Even Dad calls every so often for help with the tractor, but we mostly work on classic cars together now.’’
She said her next goal was to complete another level 5 qualification, which would allow her to work on the company’s electric buses.
