About

ST Hitec was first established in 1999 operating out of a small workshop in Newmarket. The initials ST referenced the owner, Soichi Tate who, prior to moving to NZ,  worked as head mechanic at Nissan in Japan. The main focus at ST Hitec was performance - the first step was providing and fitting the performance parts - the second step, testing and tuning the car on a Dyno machine, which was Soichi's speciality.  With the experience he bought with him from Nissan, in particular his knowledge of the RB and SR engines, it wasn’t long before the name ST Hitec became synonymous with performance car tuning in New Zealand.  If you attend a car show, you will soon notice the many cars sporting the ST Hitec sticker – many well known performance cars in New Zealand can attribute their success to Soichi's tuning, one in particular, the BNR32, VeilSide equipped 800HP R32 Nissan GT-R which has won many awards in many different competitions.  ST Hitec also pioneered many import vehicle events in New Zealand, such as the VeilSide R34 GT-R Land Speed Record, Top Secret Drag Day and more recently the D1GP NZ Series.  At the end of 2015, after 16 years tuning performance cars, Soichi made the decision to sell ST Hitec Ltd.

Our in-house tuner, Antony "Boomer" Hart began his love affair with the Automotive Industry 20 yrs ago and he brings a wealth of experience to ST Hitec. His first job in 1991 was with Ace Auto Electrical - after qualifying as an Auto Electrician he operated his own business for 11 yrs utilising his skills as a Car Stereo and Alarm Systems installer which is also where he got the nickname Boomer.  During this time he gained a comprehensive working knowledge of a cars electrical system, notably ECU's and power management systems.
Having touched on vehicle tuning during his time qualifying as an Auto Electrician, his interest in this aspect of vehicle performance grew and he was able to utilise this knowledge later on when he signed on with Possum Bourne Motorsport. During his time with PBM he sharpened his skills in the tuning department - having friends calling on him all the time to tune their cars for the track was a bonus. Antony is a self proclaimed Mazda and Rotary fan - building and continuing to develop an RX2 tube framed drag car which runs an 8 sec quarter mile. You will see Antony at the track, laptop in hand, providing trackside assistance, something we offer to all our customers, at Meremere drag strip and Hampton Downs racetrack.
Averaging over 150 vehicle tunes per year his track record speaks for itself. For a snapshot of his tuning prowess, take Issue #265 of the NZ Performance Car Magazine which features four vehicles all tuned by ST Hitec #Antonyhart.  Antony's practical, hands on experience tuning many different types of vehicles makes the knowledge he brings to ST Hitec invaluable.

ST Hitec's R35 GTR has set Timeattack NZ Superlap Pro Street track records at Manfeild racetrack, Bruce McLaren Motorsport track, Hampton Downs International Circuit and Hampton Downs National Circuit - the results after 6 rounds say it all - Iain annihilated the competition with a sensational 1:07.067 at the final round at Hampton Downs and took out the series win in the Pro Street Class for 2017.

We entered our R35 in the Thames Valley Car Club half mile challenge on Hamilton Rd, Ngatea, first run was 315km, smashing the old record of 285km. Remember this is a full street trim car, Registered and Warranted, weighing 1845kg's without driver.

The workshop in Mt Wellington has undergone many changes too - the dyno room has been extended and the air extraction system upgraded to remove the harmful exhaust output safely out of the building - the addition of an insulated internal wall and an insulated door means a huge reduction in noise when a car is on the Dyno. To cater to the growing demand for modified engines, a dedicated engine build room has been installed within the workshop, providing a dust free, air conditioned environment for all engine work to take place. And for our customers they can now relax in our comfortable waiting area, enjoy a good cup of coffee and read a magazine.

Racing cars aside, the team at ST Hitec are committed to providing our customers with excellent service and workmanship of the highest standard. We are the number one tuning and performance workshop in New Zealand and are determined to stamp our mark on the global industry.