An old Isuzu Elf and some after school and weekend jobs around the rural Hauraki Plains were the humble beginnings for KT Cartage nearly 15 years ago.

Kelvin and Emily Fitzpatrick have been together through the growing pains and hard knocks of gaining a foothold in the transport industry. And they provide a hard-working inspiration for other young people to follow their business dreams.

The couple went to high school together at Hauraki Plains College. Both now 30, their Kerepehi-based KT Cartage operation has grown to comprise six trucks and specialises in Hiab/crane work – the more unusual and challenging the better.

 Kelvin spent his childhood around all kinds of trucks and machinery, building an interest in what each machine was capable of.

“At high school I had a little Isuzu Elf. It was mainly to cart the dirt bikes around, but I quickly worked out I could make a dollar doing a couple of jobs here and there – little bits of machinery among other things,” he says.

“A few people [from school] went off and bought themselves fast cars, where we looked at more practical ideas.”

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