Hawke's Bay host Annual Connection event for the first time

John Anderson (left) and Jimmy Marinus from Unison in Hawke's Bay installing an earth bank. Photo / Paul Taylor

Competition was hot in Hawke's Bay with power company crews going head to head against each other in a physically and mentally challenging battle.

The yearly Annual Connection event saw three days of intense line mechanic and cable joiner competitions, with entrants from power companies around the country, and one from team from Australia, all pitting their work skills against each other.

This year marked 18 years of the competition running and was held at Hawke's Bay Regional Sports Ground which was the first year Hawke's Bay has held the event.

Crews from New Zealand and Australia competed in the three-day event. Photo / Paul Taylor

12 teams competed in the line mechanic competitions, while nine individuals competed in the cable joiner competitions. Events also included a pole top rescue, team building and first aid competitions.

Annual Connection offers plenty of recruitment opportunities as well. School leavers or anyone considering a career in the Infrastructure sector was able to experience what the work involves on a day to day basis.

The third major part of Annual Connection is the Excellence Awards, in which finalists compete for honours in six categories: Distribution Trainee of the Year, Telecommunications Trainee of the Year, Transmission Trainee of the Year, Investing in Youth Training and Development, Generation Trainee of the Year and Advanced Trainee of the Year 2019.