"The company has created a supportive environment where staff can fully develop their careers, through on-job apprenticeships to graduating with a nationally recognised diploma," Mr Scrafton added.
Ravensdown Aerowork specialises in all aspects of aerial applications such as fertiliser spreading and agricultural spraying and helping to deliver high yields from often challenging and remote countryside from Te Kuiti in King Country, across Taihape and Wanganui and as far south as Central Otago.
The award was collected by operations manager Rick Harding and engineering manager Chris Smith.
Mr Smith said the company provided in-house training for its engineering staff with other providers involved such as ServiceIQ and the Nelson-Marlborough Institute of Technology in Nelson.
"We work very closely with those service providers," he said.
Ravensdown Aerowork operates a fleet of 15 Cresco fixed-wing aircraft and five helicopters which are maintained by 16 fulltime engineering staff based at their Wanganui Airport workshops.
Some of those engineers are working through their qualifications directly from secondary school but Mr Smith said for most the goal is to achieve a diploma in aeronautical engineering, a qualification which means they can certify the airworthiness of their fleet.
Some of the trainee engineers will do the Nelson course but work with Ravensdown Aerowork during their semester breaks.
The Wanganui workshop is an integral part of the company's engineering operation. While some of the aircraft get service checks done in the South Island, all of them come through Wanganui for their major maintenance.
"We aim to give our pilots confidence in the safety of the aircraft and the feedback is that they like the standard we achieve," he said. "Maintenance overhauls are scheduled at every 150 hours and we don't want any breakdowns during that period."
He said the company prides itself on having the best maintained agricultural aeroplanes in New Zealand.
"We succeed because we make training a strong part of the company's ethos, and supporting our engineering employees to develop their skills to the highest level."
When Mr Smith joined the business in 2009, he and Brad Collins, the company's helicopter engineer, put in place a formal training programme to increase capability and service excellence.
"We encouraged all the guys in the hangar to study and become licensed aircraft engineers. It took time to build the depth of knowledge but about two years ago we achieved the coverage we needed. We now have a good succession plan and enough skilled and qualified engineers to manage the workload," he said.
The company has created a supportive environment where staff can earn as they learn and fully develop their careers, starting out with an on-job training apprenticeship to graduating with a nationally recognised diploma.
It takes several years to learn and refine the skills that are needed to gain an aircraft engineer's licence with recruits aiming to get ServiceIQ Certificates in Aeronautical Engineering Levels 3, 4 and 5.
"By Level 4, the trainees become useful. They know their way around the aeroplane and if you give them a job, you know they are going to be able to complete it," Mr Smith said.
Ravensdown Aerowork has five licensed engineers and a team of 12 at Level 3 or higher in aeronautical engineering, aviation store keeping or maintenance planning. Five engineers manage the maintenance check for each aircraft.
ServiceIQ works with industry associations, government, advisory groups, education and training providers and all kinds of businesses, from large national chains to small and medium-sized enterprises throughout New Zealand.
