Competition decides Waikato's best building apprentices of the year

From left: Caleb Haika (second), Chris Foy (winner), and Malcolm Bell (third) at the Registered Master Builders Apprentice of the Year Waikato Regional Awards 2022. Photo / Mike Walen

The top three building apprentices from the Waikato Region have been announced for the 2022 Registered Master Builders' Carters Apprentice of the Year competition.

Chris Foy, from Hamilton, was named the Waikato Apprentice of the Year. Chris, 21, was trained through BCITO, a business division of Te Pūkenga, and is employed by Urban Homes.

The competition recognises excellence among carpentry apprentices and raises awareness of career opportunities in the building and construction industry. The competition tests our future sector leaders' project management, business, presentation, and practical skills.

For the regional competition, each apprentice had to submit a building project. They then took part in a two-hour practical challenge where they were tasked with building a saw stool. The top 10 from each region then progressed to the interview stage, with a judging panel and an on-site visit to discuss their project.

The top apprentice from each region will go on to compete in the national competition. This includes a 45-minute interview with the national judging panel and an additional six-hour practical skills test.

Judges comments, Waikato

1st – Chris Foy, Hamilton, (Urban Homes):

Chris is an impressive, keen, and organised apprentice with a maturity beyond his years. He showed great awareness of health and safety. Chris has a very good skill-set and fantastic tool technique, which enabled him to work at a steady but strong rate during the practical challenge. Chris's submission impressed the judges - it was well detailed, and his involvement in the project was clearly described, and this came through during the site visit.

2nd – Caleb Haika, Hamilton, (RS Design and Build):

Caleb's calm and collected character really shone through during his practical challenge. Keeping his work area tidy throughout the challenge, Caleb worked at a steady pace, showing tidy workmanship and nice hand-tool technique. He presented his project to the judges very well with great attention to detail, which also showed through in his workmanship on site.

3rd – Malcolm Bell, Hamilton, (JCC Build):

Malcolm Bell is a capable apprentice who fosters great relationships with colleagues and clients. Malcolm showed good health and safety practices and had an excellent submission. On site, Malcolm demonstrated great leadership qualities and a fantastic understanding of detail for a complicated reclad.

For more information about the competition, visit https://www.apprenticeoftheyear.co.nz/