David moved to Ōtaki in 1982 and has lived here since then (apart from time spent overseas). In the late 80’s, Dave built a yacht and cruised the South Pacific with his family, gaining experience in “off grid” living, energy generation from renewable sources, energy efficiency and self-sufficiency.
He’s a Qualified Mechanical Engineer (NZCE Mechanical, and accepted as a Registered Engineering Associate). After working in various aspects of engineering, he started his own company specialising in design, build and repair of small machinery.
He started doing work for a specialty cheese manufacturer and learned a lot about process control, instrumentation and automation.
He then implemented projects in the energy efficiency and energy recovery fields, including halving the annual electricity cost of a large boiler pump and stabilising the output temperature, and an award-winning project recovering waste heat from several refrigeration sets.
Dave was an early adopter of EV technology, and was one of the first in the region to own an electric car. He also sells and services electric bicycles.
He is active in the community, being a member of the Ōtaki Lions club, supporting Ōtaki College in their EVolocity projects, and assisting at local events.