Katareina Kaiwai wants change. And what this determined young Māori woman wants, she tends to get. As one of the few female business owners in Civil Construction in the East Coast region, based in a remote town two hours north of Gisborne, she is a champion of women, her industry, and her region. Where there is, she believes, underinvestment and a breakdown by decision-makers to understand the needs of this …
“Give it a go” is the advice to women considering a future in infrastructure from Connexis Ultimit Ambassador Laisa Pickering. A high-voltage live line mechanic at Electrix, Laisa says many of the barriers that make working in the industry difficult for women are more a perception than a reality. Confidence in your own abilities and skills, and not brute strength, is what it takes to make it, she says. And Laisa should know. She has worked in …
For Genesis Energy Mechanical Engineer Angie Du Randt, working in energy and infrastructure has opened the door to opportunities to live abroad and pursue a passion for mountain biking. As one of our new Connexis Ultimit Ambassadors, Angie shows that work enables play and that your personality defines your career and not the other way around. “Engineer by trade, cyclist at heart,” is how she describes herself. Angie never started out with her …
Not being constrained by “dude rules” frees you up to be who you want to be and to do your job better, says Connexis Ultimit Ambassador Danielle Forman, a Power Systems Technician at Electrix. Danielle, a new recruit to the Connexis Ultimit Ambassador programme, argues that in some ways it is easier being a female in this male, and often still “pretty macho” industry. It is not merely the fact that Danielle is a woman that has …
Outstanding Individual award-winner Allison Endemann says the fields of infrastructure and contracting offer plenty of scope for women. It is an established fact every field of work has its own fascination – and in the case of Allison Endemann of Higgins Contractors, the thing she is passionate about is asphalt. Yes, asphalt, the surface we all drive and walk …
Connexis trade qualifications are tangible proof that you really do have the skills to do what you do, says New Zealand’s first holder of Forestry Earthworks and Civil Trade Certificates. At the Eastland Wood Council Forestry Awards earlier in the year, a biennial event in Gisborne that celebrates achievement and excellence in the New Zealand forestry industry, John Broughton of …
Jarred Bird has recently received a L4 NZC Civil Works Qualification with strands in Road construction, Earthworks and Road Maintenance. As an owner and operator of Napier based Outdoor Solutions this national and formal recognition of his skills and knowledge will give him a great edge to seize future business opportunities and drive business growth. Jared says the qualification and …
For Taupō-based Will Halligan, a Connexis apprenticeship in wastewater treatment is adding a new dimension to his career. On the face of it, Will Halligan has quite enough to be going on with. As the Acting Maintenance Manager at Wairakei Resort near Taupō he is responsible for all of the resort’s water needs, from the intake of water downstream from …
A career switch from baking to helping to build New Zealand’s internet fibre network has been a positive step for Christchurch-based Fibre Technician Jonathan Welch. When it comes to revolutions, there is probably none larger than the technology one we are living through. In the last three decades the internet has transformed how people around the world live, work …
A career in an industry with loads of variety was high on the wish-list for Invercargill’s Symarah Bennett-Young. And it’s something her role as an apprentice substation maintainer at PowerNet is serving up in spades. Symarah, 22, got her first taste of the industry when she was 15 – taking an electronics class at Southland Girls’ High School, where she …
