Finn’s picnic table the winner

Pencil firmly clamped between his teeth, Finn Johnson brings down the circular saw on one of the pieces of timber which made up his winning picnic table in the New Zealand Certified Builders Apprentice Challenge on Saturday. Picture by Liam Clayton

Finn Johnson has claimed the title of Gisborne regional champion in the New Zealand Certified Builders Apprentice Challenge for 2021.

Finn and five other apprentices were put through their paces on Saturday at Versatile in Gladstone Road.

They were given eight hours to build a picnic table, following specific design plans and making sure the finished product met minimum safety standards.

The tables were assessed by a panel of expert judges, who looked at technical aspects such as the quality of workmanship, measuring, cutting and assembly, as well as other essential skills while working against the clock, including ability to follow a detailed plan and safe working technique.

Finn, an apprentice at Character Building received the top score overall, with Micah Wilson, of Dave Wallace Building, second and Te Kanawa Tapara, also of Character Building, third.

Finn won an ITM prize pack of trade tools and earned a place in the national final.

He will compete against 18 other regional winners for the Ken Read Memorial Trophy and $50,000 in prizes.

The national final will be held at the New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) annual conference in Wellington on June 11-12.

NZCB Apprentice Challenge manager Nick Matthews said the show of carpentry talent on Saturday was a testament to the high-calibre of apprentices in industry training, with all competitors either employed by NZCB member builders or enrolled with ITAB (the Industry Training Association Building).

“The future of New Zealand’s building industry is dependent on a robust pipeline of trade-qualified and well-rounded carpentry professionals.

“We encourage NZCB member builders to support this by taking on apprentices.

“In doing so, they provide a pathway into the industry and help to ensure there are highly-skilled builders coming through to meet the increasing demand for the sector.

“These apprentices have developed the skills and passion to be successful in the trade with the support of their employers and the training scheme ITAB provides.

“These events are a great opportunity to give the community an inside look at building apprenticeship training that they might not otherwise see, and to celebrate those apprentices who have excelled in their field.”