Marc nails top award
Marc Palmer was back on the job in Timaru yesterday but not just as any builder apprentice. He is New Zealand’s best, winning the crown in Wellington on Saturday from 17 other regional finalists.
A 21-year-old Timaru man has won the national final of the New Zealand Certified Builders Association apprentice challenge – the first South Canterbury winner in the competition’s 10-year history.
Marc Palmer competed against 18 other regional finalists from around the country on Saturday.
Lucile Richardson, 21, of Waikato, was second and Ryan Whitburn, 27, from Otago, was third at the competition where competitors undertook challenges including an exam and a speech.
Palmer won more than $13,000 in prizes including a new drop saw, laptop and an iPhone.
‘‘It still feels unreal to have won the challenge. The competition looked like they had put in some mean hours,’’ Palmer told The Timaru Herald yesterday.
Palmer’s employer David Bay said the accomplishment felt ‘‘surreal’’ and there had never been a Canterbury winner before.
Palmer mentioned working one-onone with his boss helped him build confidence in his carpentry skills.
‘‘Give it your all and leave nothing, if you put in the hours it shows,’’ Palmer said.
NZCB regional president Dan Gallagher said it was a ‘‘big deal’’ for Mid-South Canterbury because there had never been a winner from the region in 10 years.
‘‘He was up against some very talented apprentices,’’ Gallagher said.
Carpentry apprentices from around New Zealand had to compete in eighthour regional challenges which involve a unique building project, judged by building practitioners and industry educators.
The winners then went on to the finals in Wellington to compete against other regional winners.
The finals were held on Saturday at the TSB Arena in Wellington in conjunction with the three-day NZCB National Conference and Expo.
The annual apprentice challenge saw a record number of women participating and a number of older apprentices who started the carpentry profession later in life.