Having led the school as Head Prefect, helped to steer College to a Maadi Cup win, and set up Tamai Sports to support children from the city’s east to get into sport, Old Boy Max Goodwin (14691) has embarked on the next stage of his journey – industrial engineering.

Returning to College for a Career Convos session, Max has shared his experiences with the next generation of potential engineers.

Achieving a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) with 1st Class Honours, Max was signed up to join leading engineering consultancy Beca while still in his final year of study at the University of Canterbury (UC).

“College set me up well for university and I had a great time at UC, including living in the halls,” Max says. “Most of my mates are from College and university. Having done NCEA Level 3 Calculus in Year 12, I was able to focus on Level 3 Physics and Chemistry in my final year. You need all at Level 3 for engineering. I also took English and PE, along with agribusiness because it was a more generalised, open-ended subject, which I loved.”

His “high points” at College include being made Head Prefect and rowing for the school, particularly in the Maadi Cup.

“Garth Wynne, Rob Donaldson, and Darrell Thatcher were all very good about my dual commitments, particularly at the start of rowing, recognising it would be a bit of a squeeze,” he says. “I also had a lot of support from the other prefects.”

A member of Harper House, Max “absolutely loved” his time in the House and the support of Housemaster Matt Cortesi, along with the guidance of Tony O’Connor and Henry Smith, culminating in winning the Maadi Cup in 2018.

“All three have been instrumental in my development,” he reflects.

Now, Max is enjoying his time with Beca, having always “had an inkling that engineering would be my career”.

“Even as a kid, I was always working with Lego and building stuff in the family garage,” Max says.

Now Auckland-based in the Beca industrial team, Max is dealing with “a very broad manufacturing market”.

“We undertake a number of tasks – general mechanical stuff. I have been looking at designing nickel furnaces for Indonesia. Now, I am working on piping and inducting for plants and looking at furnaces in Australia, including a waste gas heat recovery unit. We are trying to reduce gas usage. As an engineer, I like problem-solving and finding ways to make industry cleaner and better. I am incredibly motivated by those problems in the industrial space. As to the future and the role I want to play in that, I am not sure.

“I definitely want to start juggling more balls in terms of the whole question around engineering and business, and society and governance. I would love to run – perhaps my own – people-focused company one day.”

To the next generation of Christ’s College boys, Max says “try what you love” while discovering your career path.

“Don’t be scared of it and have fun along the way. Enjoy your time at College and don’t be in a rush to go too far ahead.”