Mitre 10 Great Apprentice Race

The future of New Zealand’s building industry is looking very bright, if the participants in this year’s Mitre 10 Trade Great Apprentice Race are an indication of the talent and can-do attitude coming into our industry.

In partnership with Makita and MATES in Construction, Mitre 10 Trade was again proud to support the 2022 NZCB Conference and Expo, and to run one of the highlights of the event, the Great Apprentice Race.

Bringing together 20 of the most promising apprentices from across Aotearoa New Zealand, this year’s challenge saw the group working in teams of two to design and build a rickshaw in just 4.5 hours. That same afternoon, they had to race the rickshaws to a workstation, assemble a sawhorse, hammer in a six-inch nail with a toy hammer and use a crescent to screw a coach screw into the sawhorse, then turn around and race their rickshaw back to the start point.

Having never met before the weekend, the apprentices impressed the judges with their collaborative approach and the level of responsibility and onus each took. Mitre 10 building consultant and Easy As man Stan Scott, who helped design the challenge and supervise the race, said they all did exceptionally well, especially given the tight time schedule and the added pressure of a big crowd of people watching.

“They were very competitive, took the challenge seriously but didn’t take themselves too seriously. Design, build, execute –hats off, they all did a great job and had a lot of fun.”

That one team had to carry their rickshaw over the line after it fell apart, and another collected bits that had fallen off a competitor rickshaw and carried them over the line so that everyone completed the race, only added to the entertainment, while also underscoring the great attitudes they all displayed.

Now more than ever, it’s vitally important to be supporting trade apprentices, with the demand pipeline for new residential construction continuing for the foreseeable future. All 20 apprentices took home the Makita tool kits they used to complete the challenge, sponsored by Mitre 10 Trade and Makita and worth over $1500 each.

We at Mitre 10 Trade highly value our longstanding relationship with NZCB and its members, and we’re proud to support the Great Apprentice Race and the impressive talent coming up through the ranks. As Stan said at the end of the race, the future of building industry is looking bloody good if the calibre and quality of these apprentices are anything to go by.

Many thanks to Karla, Nick and the team for another excellent conference and expo. It’s a highlight in the Mitre 10 Trade calendar and we’re looking forward to the next one already.

Rob Macgregor

Mitre 10 Trade, Trade Marketing Manager