Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Local student places in national engineering competition (+ video)

Shauni James
By Shauni James
Rotorua Weekender reporter·Rotorua Daily Post·
23 Nov, 2016 03:49 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

A Rotorua student was "amazed" to find out he had taken second place in an inter-school engineering competition.

The competition was held recently to find engineers and furniture makers of the future, with Jack Heaphy from Rotorua Lakes High School placing second in the engineering category.

Jack, 18, was presented with his prize of a 30-piece tool set and beanie today . The rest of his class were also given the same prizes.

They were donated by New Zealand Safety Blackwoods.

The "Toolbox Challenge" is a nationwide engineering and furniture competition created by industry training organisation Competenz, and open to all schools which offer engineering or furniture subjects in Years 11 to 13.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Jack and his classmates built a mini steam engine generated by a flywheel using aluminium, steel and brass components they built themselves.

Jack said the model created was a one lunger steam engine which took about four hours a day, for about 18 weeks, to create.

He said the lunger steam engine was decided on because it was customisable, so you could put your own take and style on it.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It wasn't so hard that people like me who just started engineering couldn't do it, but it still presented a challenge."

He found out the result on Monday, and was "pretty amazed".

"I just like the hands on approach engineering has and you're building something with the equipment provided, and can see the progress as you go."

As part of the competition, a video was made with the steam engine's parts, showing how they fit together and the different standards the parts had to be created to, he said.

The video was filmed and edited by Rotorua Lakes High School student Ben Peacock, 18.

Rotorua Lakes High School engineering teacher Dave Whitby said the competition had seemed like a great motivator for the students and it was a great achievement for Jack who had only taken up engineering this year.

"My thanks to Competenz for setting up such a fabulous competition. We are looking forward to taking part again next year."

Competenz schools and careers manager Joanne Verry said the challenge was designed to build excitement around trade-based subjects and complemented the national curriculum.

"It's a fun way for students to work towards unit standards while gaining exposure to an industry-based challenge."

All finalists were judged against other schools by industry professionals, including representatives from Competenz, and also a public vote.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Popular Waikato walkway fully reopens after major upgrade

02 Jul 05:00 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Wet, wet, wet: Rain warning for BoP as more tropical weather looms

01 Jul 11:38 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Road reopens after person hit by truck

01 Jul 11:24 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Popular Waikato walkway fully reopens after major upgrade

Popular Waikato walkway fully reopens after major upgrade

02 Jul 05:00 AM

The reopening comes seven months behind the original schedule.

Wet, wet, wet: Rain warning for BoP as more tropical weather looms

Wet, wet, wet: Rain warning for BoP as more tropical weather looms

01 Jul 11:38 PM
Road reopens after person hit by truck

Road reopens after person hit by truck

01 Jul 11:24 PM
Why an outspoken leader is resigning and returning to Rotorua

Why an outspoken leader is resigning and returning to Rotorua

01 Jul 10:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP