On The Up: Whanganui’s Louis Devine wins Young Plumber of the Year title

Louis Devine (centre) with second-placed Seth Hall (left) and third-placed Liam Locke.

Louis Devine may have won a national title but he will not be leaving Whanganui any time soon.

Devine, who works for Thompson Plumbing and Gas, won this year’s Young Plumber of the Year competition.

He took out the branch and regional rounds before beating nine others at the national final in Hamilton.

“Suppliers come in, bring a specific product and do a skills test on it,” he said.

“Piping out a cylinder was one example, and you get scored on efficiency and whether you did it right.

“There was a theory element at each event, with a one-hour test in the final. That involved quite a bit of mathematics.”

Devine said finalists were flown to Auckland for factory tours, then driven to Hamilton for theory tests and “the big practical day”.

The competition was started by Plumbing World in 2014.

Entrants had to be under the age of 31 and apprentices could also compete, he said.

Devine won the lower North Island young plumber competition last year but could not make the national final because his son was due to be born on the same day.

He was joined on the podium in 2025 by Gisborne’s Seth Hall (second) and Northland’s Liam Locke (third).

Devine, 26, said he began in the industry when he was 18 and had been with Thompson for almost three years.

“I was living in Palmerston North for a minute, just kind of bumming around, then my mother called me and said there was someone who wanted to take me on for some work experience.

“After a year, I decided ‘Yep, I’m going to stick at this’ and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

He said working in the trades “opens your eyes up to the world”.

“You get paid to learn, which is great, and you get to meet a variety of people you wouldn’t otherwise.

“You’re helping people, too.

“This week, for example, I’m on a new build for a couple who are just over the moon that their project is happening.”

Work was going well and his son had just turned 1, Devine said.

“I’ve got every reason to stay in Whanganui for quite a while.

“Further down the track, it’s anybody’s guess. The world is a big place and, with a trade background, you can go anywhere.

“We will be going to Niue, that’s for sure.”

Devine’s first-place prize included cash, tools and a trip for two to the Scenic Matavai Resort in Niue.

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.