Women step up at construction awards ceremony

Three female students were among the winners at this year’s NZIOB (NZ Institute of Building)  NorthTec Student awards ceremony, breaking the pattern of males traditionally taking home the prizes.

More than 80 industry representatives, students and whānau attended the event held at NorthTec’s Apprentice Restaurant on the Raumanga campus, with canapés and drinks prepared and served by NorthTec’s hospitality students.

Every year, cash prizes of $500 and industry-related products are awarded to the top NorthTec students in a variety of categories in the construction, project management and engineering trades. This year, women won or shared three of the seven prizes on offer.

Trevor Griffiths from Griffiths Associates, representing the Northland Branch Northern Chapter of the NZIOB, updated the attendees on the history of the awards. This was the eighteenth year the NZIOB NorthTec Student awards have been held, with more than 65 students sponsored over the years through their prizes – amounting to $62,000 in support for trainees in the region, donated by the industry sponsors.

The total number of prizes awarded has increased over the last two years, enabling more students to receive industry support from the participating employers.

Guest speaker Matt McGuiness, NZIOB Northern Region Committee Chair, spoke about the importance of increasing sustainability and planning within the construction industry,  following the signing of an updated Memorandum of Understanding between NorthTec and NZIOB Northland Branch.

The awards were presented by each student’s tutor, which gave them the opportunity to share some of the winners’ inspiring qualities.

This year’s sponsors were: Active; Altherm Aluminium; Apex Roof ‘N’ Clad Ltd; Autex; Building & Fire Services (2008) Ltd; Elevate CA Ltd; Griffiths & Associates; Hawthorn Geddes; ITM; McKay Electrical; NorthTec; Robinson Asphalt; Rosenfeld Kidson; Steve Bowling Contracting; World of Décor; Wynn Frazer.
 
The winning students were:

• Construction Level 3 Award: Holly Jensen and Johnathon Manukau
• Construction Level 4 Award: Aiden Inia-Sade
• Painting Award: Raukawa Michael
• Electrical Engineering Award: Anake Moanaroa-Leismann
• Civil Engineering Award: Tim Goodwin
• Architectural Technology Award: Alyshia Foster
• Project Management Award: Nithin Joseph

Sam Kelly, NorthTec’s Acting Associate Director, Products and Delivery, said: “The annual NZIOB NorthTec Student awards are a great opportunity for our top students to be showcased to employers. They are also an excellent way for the industry to support trainees and help maintain a pipeline of trained graduates ready to go into work in our region.”