Apprentice wins top award
A young Nelson apprentice has topped the country in a showdown involving drills, screws and a quirky children’s playhouse.
Shaun Campbell, of Inhaus Developments in Nelson, was named top carpentry apprentice at the Registered Master Builders Carters 2015 Apprentice of the Year competition in Auckland.
‘‘It’s not as easy as it looks to people from the outside,’’ said Campbell. ‘‘During the competition it was pretty stressful but I didn’t get stumped.’’
The 10 national finalists, selected from 145 apprentices from around New Zealand, were tasked with building a children’s playhouse in the competition, which was gifted to a local charity.
The 20-year-old’s winning playhouse will be donated to charity Head2Head, which works to give sustainable life skills to children in need.
Judges said Campbell’s passion for his craft set him apart from other finalists.
In a statement, they said he was a strong all rounder who delivered quality work in a commercial timeframe.
The competition included two days of practical work, a 45 minute interview with a judging panel, as well as the building task in front of an audience.
Campbell, trained through apprentice training organisation BCITO before starting work with Inhaus Developments, hopes to own the company one day. His father established the building company in 1987.
‘‘It’ll happen one day,’’ said Campbell.
The use of a new Ford Ranger for a year, an iPad and a range of tools are among his prizes for winning the competition.
The awards were announced at a ceremony in Auckland on Friday evening.
Matt Booth, 24, of Excel Builders in the Central North Island region was placed second in the competition. Bryce Pemberton, 22, of Fletcher Construction in Wellington was third.
Registered Master Builders chief executive David Kelly said the participants in the competition this year were promising a positive future for the growing industry. 1. Which day of the week takes its name from a Norse god associated with thunder and lightning? 2. Which Western Australian port city is known locally as Freo? 3. Which high-profile country music figure is married to the rarely seen Carl Dean? 4. The city of Tobruk is in which country? 5. Which German word, commonly heard during World War II, translates as ‘‘air weapon’’? 6. Where is the Khumbu Icefall? 7. What type of sporting venue would you find at Yonkers, New York? 8. Marcus Daniell represents New Zealand in which sport? 9. What is a jillaroo? 10. Which word can precede lick, mine or pan?
During the competition it was pretty stressful but I didn’t get stumped. Shaun Campbell
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