Jim Thornton

His extensive experience and love for teaching has enabled many ākonga to gain the skills and experience to produce work at industry standard.  

After completing an engineering apprenticeship in Christchurch, Jim jumped at the opportunity to travel to China and install the machines he had been working on. Since then, Jim has worked in various roles that have taken him to the UK and Australia.  

He has experience in everything from workshops, draughting and design offices to working on-site, operating a range of machines, and now, teaching. 

Jim’s approach to teaching is to create a relaxed environment for his ākonga to learn. He wants his students to feel comfortable asking for help whenever they need it.  

“Seeing ākonga learn and achieve is the best thing about working at Te Pūkenga NMIT.” he says. 

He goes the extra mile in his teaching role, organising additional classes for those who might require more support with a particular subject or project. 

“At Te Pūkenga NMIT I think there are always opportunities to spend time with a learner if they need it.” 

Jim spends his free time utilising his skills to design and build anything and everything for his home.  

“Seeing a problem and working out or building something to solve that problem is something that I really enjoy.”