Nestled on the banks of its might river, Rakaia tends to be a thoroughfare for traffic heading along State Highway 1 rather than a destination.
However like many small rural towns it is the service hub for a huger area and the variety of businesses and the level of skills and service they provide can be a surprise to people from larger towns.
Scott and Jody Baker purchased the Rakaia Service Centre adjacent to the Mobil Service Station on the corner of State Highway 1 and Bridge Street in April 2010. They had managed the business for the previous three years, so the transition was extremely smooth.

“The workshop is well equipped to handle a full range of mechanical work, from routine servicing and maintenance through to mechanical repairs, servicing of vehicle air conditioning, tyre services and wheel alignments, as well as WOFs.”

With its team of three full-time mechanics assisted by an apprentice and an administrator, Rakaia Service Centre is kept busy with all type of motor vehicles, cars, trucks and particularly the 4WDs which are so popular and the useful in this region.
Completing his mechanics apprenticeship in Rakaia, Scott then moved to Armstrong Prestige in Christchurch. He developed a particular interest in Jeep, Chrysler and Dodge vehicles, which led to four years at a dealership in Calgary, Canada.
With these vehicles becoming more popular and accessible in New Zealand, Scott’s expertise is becoming sought after, with customers from as far afield as Winton in Southland and the West Coast opting to travel to Rakaia to get their vehicles serviced.
“I spent eight years working in Jeep dealerships and independently specialising in Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler service. We’ve also got a factory trained Toyota technician on site and the computerised factory diagnostics which are usually only available at the dealership, so we can offer the level of expertise you would expect at a dealership but at a cost more suited to the local rural environment,” said Scott.

“Completing his mechanics apprenticeship in Rakaia, Scott then moved to Armstrong Prestige in Christchurch. He developed a particular interest in Jeep, Chrysler and Dodge vehicles, which led to four years at a dealership in Calgary, Canada.”