Hastings woman powers New Zealand communities in electrical trade

Hastings' Ariana Shipman, a 29-year-old apprentice line mechanic, is helping power communities across New Zealand.

Ariana Shipman once worked behind the scenes in Auckland’s theatres; now she’s helping to power communities across New Zealand.

The 29-year-old apprentice line mechanic is based at Unison in Hastings but spends much of her time on the road, working on high-impact infrastructure projects.

With the rest of her all-male crew, Shipman has recently helped install a new generator on the East Coast to power substations in the event of disruptions caused by weather events like Cyclone Gabrielle.

“It means if a town is disconnected from the rest of the circuit, you can still provide power as a temporary option,” she says.

She’s often the only woman on site.

“They just treat me like ‘one of the guys’ but still realise I have different strengths and weaknesses,” Shipman says.

“When we’re on the tools, no one’s an outsider.”

Shipman began her apprenticeship in Auckland but, preferring the Hawke’s Bay lifestyle, transferred to PBA Ltd, a subsidiary of Unison.

She is set to complete her apprenticeship in 2025 with Connexis, an industry training organisation for infrastructure trades.

For her, the reward is simple.

“We’re literally powering the community, which is a great feeling.”

Shipman recently helped to install a generator on the East Coast to support substations during disruptions.

In June, she played a key role encouraging other young women to explore trade careers at Connexis Girls with Hi-Vis, an event hosted by Unison at its Hastings yard.

Students from William Colenso College, Hastings Girls’ High, Havelock North High, Central Hawke’s Bay College, Wairoa College and Eastern Institute of Technology tried their hand at operating heavy machinery, jointing cables and pole climbing.

“I really wish I’d had more information about these types of trade jobs when I was leaving school,” Shipman said.

Connexis executive director Kaarin Gaukrodger says New Zealand’s infrastructure industry is facing a major skills shortage and is working to attract more women to trades.

“Women can bring a different approach to jobs, which can benefit everyone. They might adapt physically demanding tasks to find a new way of doing them ... they might bring attention to detail and good communication skills.”