He's fearless, good with a hammer and knows how to breathe, just three of the many skills 33-year-old auctioneer Michael Wilson will be using to compete against 13 other candidates in the television show The Apprentice Aotearoa.

Micheal is currently living in Auckland, but grew up in Otumoetai, and attended Otumoetai College.

He gets back to the BOP every few weeks to visit family.

'Dad Craig lives in Matua with his partner Angela and my little brother Riley and sister Myesha who go to Oats intermediate and Oats College. Dad owns his own very successful business called Elite Electrical Inspections. A whole lot of my extended family is still there. Uncle, aunty, cousin and my gran and poppa.”

His BOP family and friends will all be cheering him on in his quest to win a $50,000 investment in his business, together with mentorship from self-made millionaire, Mike Pero.

The business-themed reality series will showcase the 14 entrepreneurs being put through their paces in a series of tasks, before entering the boardroom for a tough interview process which can determine who will be fired.

Michael says his many experiences have given him a solid understanding of the business world.

'My very first job while I was at Otumoetai College school was working at Brookfield New World! It was awesome. Once I finished school I started work at Pacific Toyota out in the workshop washing cars and helping do services until I left for overseas.”

With his ‘boisterous and extroverted' personality, Michael said becoming an auctioneer was a calling after spending a few years 'in the trenches” in real estate.

His other business is working as a breathwork coach, which he also felt a calling for. He says he is using it on the show and sharing it with other contestants.

'I had an amazing friend, Sandro Mota, who introduced me to it who then became my first breathwork coach. After working with him it was an instant calling that came from within that I must go deeper into this and help and share it with others. I am currently seven months into a nine month certification in a breathwork style called Rebirthing, which has been the deepest journey of my life in self healing. I am now coaching others and transforming them with it. It is a daily practice for me.”

Breathwork together with plant medicines, are tools Michael uses for growth and healing.

He admits he is an intense person.

'So that can be hard for some people to handle, but the best part of my character is my empathy and authenticity.”

Although he says he is enjoying the best of both worlds of Auckland and the Bay, he misses the beach and the sunrises.

'My favourite place to be is at the beach! You will find me at every sunrise doing breathwork, meditation and a cold dip every time I get back there. I am also a big fan of Gratitude cafe and The General at the Mount. I will end up getting a place in The Mount at some point this year and have a home base there and a home base in Auckland.”

Michael has a simple ‘game plan' for the show.

'Stay as authentic as I possibly can and just do the very best I can and stay aligned with my own set of values. And stand in my power.”

Success for Michael means being able to stay present in every moment,

'and to jump out of bed each morning and do something I am passionate about.”

He is not too worried about becoming a public figure.

'We are all famous! But I guess this will make me a little more recognisable for a moment of time. My mantra to handle anything that comes up is: ‘It's none of my business what anyone else thinks of me.'

The Apprentice Aotearoa premieres Monday, May 10, at 8.30pm on TVNZ 1.