For Christopher Platt, from Christchurch and Bo Liu, from in Auckland, working with elevators isn’t just a career choice, it’s a natural extension of their lifestyle and passion for maintaining and repairing things.
In other words, it is no coincidence that they ended up as KONE service technicians.
The diverse nature of the job is a major factor in what keeps Christopher motivated. "Every day is different,” he explains. “Seeing tangible results – whether it's fixing something broken or upgrading a system – gives me a deep sense of satisfaction, and that's what drives me.”
Christopher has worked seven years at KONE. At some point, he was overseeing as many as 200 elevators across a vast area of the South Island of New Zealand, from Queenstown in the south to Takaka in the north, a distance of about 1,000 kilometers. Since then, the team of service technicians in the area has grown. Nowadays, Christopher mainly travels throughout the South Island, including Nelson, Dunedin, and the West Coast.
“Still at times, I’m flying up to the North Island to assist with some major lift maintenance,” he says proudly.
Keeping the city of Auckland moving
Bo Liu’s role is rooted in the heart of Auckland’s skyline. Since moving to the city from Beijing in 2014 to find a better work-life balance, he has been an on-site technician at the SkyCity Complex. Unlike his traveling colleague, Bo oversees 70 elevators five days a week, ensuring smooth vertical mobility in one of New Zealand’s busiest entertainment hubs.
Having spent most of his life in Beijing – one of the world’s most populous cities with around 21 million residents, compared to New Zealand’s five million – Bo understands that elevator efficiency isn’t just about individual buildings: it’s about shaping the urban flow of an entire city.
“As populations grow – even here in Auckland, where a third of New Zealand’s population lives – buildings increasingly have to serve more people. As a result, they’re getting higher and being built closer to each other. This shift also affects how people navigate cities. We’re no longer just traveling on the ground; people now move in a ‘3D module’,” he says.
“You may travel by car or bicycle, but that doesn’t mean you’re at the right level when you arrive. You often still need to move up or down. The lift is like an extension of your vehicle, which is why it has changed our way of life.”
Always one step ahead with the right tools
Sky Tower, part of the SkyCity Complex, is the tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere, and a focal point of the city. With its prominence in Auckland’s skyline, it’s a key landmark that contributes to the city's unique urban landscape.
Bo ensures that every elevator in the complex operates at peak performance, preventing delays that could disrupt business operations and the visitor experience. The elevators are monitored via two systems. The first is a local network system, allowing the team to view and track the equipment status in real-time. If needed, they can control the elevators remotely, and Bo can determine what spare parts to bring without making unnecessary trips.
Bo also shares insights with other service technicians using an app on their mobile device. “We often leave notices on the app to help other technicians easily navigate the building or get familiar with the area,” he explains.
The second system, KONE 24/7 Connect, further enhances maintenance by providing real-time performance data. Bo describes it as a revolutionary tool for their job.
“It records and maintains over a year of lift running data, so we can analyse usage patterns and suggest better maintenance plans,” Bo says. “For example, we can track which floors are used most often and adjust servicing schedules accordingly.”
KONE 24/7 Connect is a revolutionary tool for technicians.
Maintaining elevators that matter
Service technicians like Bo and Christopher work with complex systems, but at the heart of their job lies a profound impact on the daily lives of people. Christopher particularly remembers a call to a retirement home in Timaru, which relies on a single KONE MonoSpace® elevator installed in 2004. Many of the residents use walkers or wheelchairs, making elevator reliability essential for their mobility and independence.
“If anything goes wrong, we have a subcontractor locally, but it’s a long way to find out there’s an issue, then come all the way back to get the parts,” he explains.
When the retirement home began experiencing recurring problems, Christopher took proactive action. He recommended modernising the elevator with a drive upgrade to prevent a potential failure that could have left residents without a functioning elevator for an extended period. Thanks to careful planning and efficient execution, the upgrade was completed within an eight-hour window, restoring peace of mind to both residents and staff.
The task was especially challenging due to the tight timeframe.
“We coordinated everything in advance – the drive upgrade and central processing unit (CPU) upgrade – so now, if they need to make any further updates or changes, it’s just plug and play,” Christopher explains.
“When you know there’s only one lift in the building, it’s a rest home, and it’s remote, waiting for failure just isn’t an option.”
This is a great example of how in the digital world technology and humans can best come together to provide exemplary customer value. It also shows that we can offer our customers reassurance throughout the lifetime of their equipment.
Problem solving as a lifestyle
One might think that after spending their workdays fixing things, both Christopher and Bo would prefer to relax and leave the repairs to others. However, when they’re off work, their passion for mending and problem-solving doesn't stop. On the contrary, both spend their spare time fixing and restoring things.
Christopher, a hands-on problem solver, admits he spends his free time buying broken things off social media just to repair them. “Boats, motorbikes, cars, anything really,” he laughs. “It’s just what I do.”
Bo shares a similar enthusiasm. His 1993 Mazda Miata, a personal project, is proof of his love for tinkering. “My dream is to turn my garage into a workshop,” he says, though he admits that his wife has firmly rejected the plan.
