Hamilton event a winner

Thisyear’s Conference, held at the Claudelands Events Centre in Hamilton was well received by all who attended. It came as a welcome relief to be finally underway given the tumult of Covid in 2020 that led to it’s earlier cancellation. With a rearranged format with the ‘inspired to perform’ theme the Conference kicked off on the Thursday with tours to the Laminex Melteca plant in Te Rapa followed by a visit around the Wintec Joinery Workshop. This was followed by The Gathering in the late afternoon and into the evening, a chance for everyone to catch up and then watch some entertainment from Greg Ward who combined singing with comedy. It worked well.

The Friday started with breakfast in the trades which gave sponsors time to meet delegates to the conference on their stands. A goodly number of trade suppliers were on hand. The rest of the day was busy with Keynote speakers Jim Hainey talking about recruitment processes, Trevor Slater on conflict resolution and a discussion of how to mitigate risk with Bakers Tilly. The afternoon was notable for the Break-out session concept where a series of sessions on various subjects were held to which you could choose to attend. I had a look at the Compliant Timber Joinery session which was a really good update on the latest NZS4211 processes and the progress with

JMA NZ Ltd that runs it. Other sessions included Floating floors, Lean manufacturing, immigration trends, insurance and the latest in edgebanders. All practical subjects that were tailored for Master Joiners. A highlight of the conference was the Keynote speech late in the day from Mike King on mental health and safety in the workplace. This was well attended and received.

Of course the showcase event was the Annual Excellence Awards Gala Dinner on the Friday night.

Congratulations must go to the Supreme Award winner Firman Joinery from Oamaru with their outstanding staircase. We have coverage of this and all the other winners in this issue. There were some 180 entries this year which is impressive given the impact of Covid over the last year. Congratulations must also go to the two new Life Members Peter Leith and Gary Turner. It was also a pleasure for me on behalf of JOINERS Magazine to once more (for the 25th year in a row) be able to present the Annual Apprentice Awards along with the main sponsor Desiree Keown from NZ Panels Group. These apprentices including a very talented young woman this year, are the life blood of this industry as always. Congrats to all of them.

The Saturday was meant as a fun day. Delegates could choose from a range of activities including a Camjet Tour, paintball adventure, a Raglan Tour and a Brewbus Tour. No prizes guessing which one I went on: the Brewbus Tour! Run by Brewbus (www. brewbus.co.nz) you get to go to a winery followed by two craft beer breweries. On a beautiful day the dozen of us on the bus kicked off with a visit to Vilagrad Winery. After a short tour and some really nice samples (and some nice nibbles) in a quite picturesque location just out of Hamilton we went to the first of two breweries for a tour and some sampling. The day just got better and better! I had no idea how good these craft beer places are let alone where they are but I learnt fast. If you are looking for a great team day out and some nice liquid refreshment and a great tour guide then contact these guys.

By about 4 in the afternoon we were back at base and while some left for parts unknown there were a few who met up for an informal finale at the Sky City Zone in Hamilton’s main drag. All in all a good conference. Thanks must go to the Conference organisers who this year were from Master Joiners themselves led by Operations Manager Allison Delaney and her team. Coming out of challenging times, a great result.