The Leeston-based third‑year apprentice earned his experience in the Christchurch Super 440 at Ruapuna this weekend (April 17-19) as part of New Holland’s apprentice programme.
Monk, who works at Cochranes’ Leeston branch, will spend the weekend embedded with the Red Bull Ampol Racing Supercars team.
The New Holland’s apprentice programme celebrates the outstanding young technicians across its Australian and New Zealand dealer network.
Born in Lincoln, Monk grew up on dairy farms across the South Island before deciding his future lay on the tools rather than in the milking shed.
“I’ve always been more interested in the machinery side of farming—the tractors and equipment—so the apprenticeship route was a natural fit for me,” he said.
“I want to keep building my skills on tractors, then get more into the combine side of things and really explore that part of the business.
“Opportunities like the Red Bull Ampol Racing weekend with New Holland just make me even more excited about where this trade can take me.”
Monk completed a level‑3 pre‑trade course before joining Cochranes as an apprentice and is now on track to finish his agricultural technician qualification by April next year.
James Foster, service manager at Cochranes Leeston, said Monk recently moved into his own field service vehicle, handling on‑farm diagnostics and repairs.
“Field work can be daunting when you first leave the workshop, but Colby has really excelled,” Foster said.
“He’s confidently diagnosing issues on farm and getting customers up and running again, which is exactly what we want from an apprentice at his stage.
“When we’re planning work and we’ve got a job that has a bit of challenge to it, Colby is often the one we’ll send,” he said.
Monk is the second Cochranes Leeston apprentice to have the Red Bull experience, following Flynn Greer, who attended Bathurst in 2023.
-Allied Media
