Building apprentice nails first round

Daniel Harvey (left) receives his winning certificate from Certified Builders Association (NZCB) Manawatū president Craig Whitton.

Apprentice Daniel Harvey has claimed the title of Napier’s champion at the regional heats of the annual New Zealand Certified Builders Apprentice Challenge (NZCB) sponsored by ITM, after competing against four other apprentices on April 1.

The apprentices were given eight hours to build a fort that followed specific design plans and met minimum safety standards. The forts were assessed by a panel of expert judges, with Daniel, 20, receiving the top score overall.

Daniel is in the third year of his apprenticeship with Christie Builders and Joiners Ltd, and will compete against 19 other regional winners from across New Zealand for the Ken Read Memorial Trophy and $25,000 worth of prizes at the NZCB National Conference and Expo in Christchurch in May next month. This is the first time Daniel has entered the competition, and he said although he was very nervous about how he would perform, he managed to get past it.

“I mostly tried to zone myself out a bit and not worry about what the other competitors were doing, and to give my full concentration to what I was doing.”

Daniel Harvey concentrates on building his winning fort.

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Plans for the fort were sent to contestants a few weeks ahead of the competition, which Daniel says gave him time to prepare and consider the best way to build it. Add to that “a bit of study” and things went “pretty smoothly overall”.

He says the judges looked over their work as the builders were having their breaks and then took around an hour afterwards to deliver the final results.

“I thought I had done pretty well, but was still a little bit sceptical as to whether I would win the overall title. I was super-stoked and super-proud of myself for being able to achieve what I did.”

Daniel says his first placing was also a win for Christie Builders and Joiners.

“They were all extremely happy for me. It makes the company look good as well, as they are the ones who have taught me everything to be able to win.”

He says his fort won the top prize on the day because it had the most accurate measurements, followed the plan and he made sure the finished product was neat and tidy. The forts were available to be purchased by the apprentices or sold on.

Preparation is now under way for the national champs, with theory revision taking precedence.

“We all have to prepare a CV, a work portfolio of projects we have worked on and a speech that we have to present to a judging panel. We also have to sit a theory-based exam.”

Daniel won’t be resting on his laurels, saying he’s always keen to learn more and will be concentrating on completing his apprenticeship.

“You will never stop learning something throughout your whole career as a builder. At this stage, I just want to complete my apprenticeship and stay with my current company for a while as I build up more knowledge and get more comfortable working on a variety of projects. Potentially, I’d like to start my own business one day, but am still unsure.”

Daniel is grateful to NZCB for running this event for apprentices across New Zealand.

“It’s a great opportunity for apprentices to show their skills and what they have learned and to be recognised for all their hard work that they put in. I am very grateful to have had this opportunity to participate and am I am looking forward to the national finals.”