6 minute read
NZ Plumber October-November 2023
PROVIDING FOR THE FAMILY
AUTHOR: BEVERLY SELLERS
Three years into his apprenticeship, Tyson Kihi found himself doing the drainage, pipe out and fit off for a bathroom in a high-end Hawke’s Bay home. Almost fully glazed and with a 400kg bath looking out over the Havelock Hills and beyond, the bathroom’s top-end fittings and spectacular view struck Tyson as particularly special.
Doing this type of high-end work spins his wheels, he says, and it’s a far cry from his previous job at the Takapau freezing works. “I started at 17 working as a boner and ended up as a boning tutor for nine of my 11 years there,” he says. “We had a steady influx of new people and I showed them how to hold and sharpen a knife, the different cuts of meat and how to cut them.”
The work was the same day in, day out and always indoors in icy temperatures. Plus, with a third child on the way for Tyson and partner Lysha, it was proving a financial struggle to provide for their growing family. Something had to change. “It was make or break,” recalls Tyson. “I’d always wanted a trade but I didn’t have a lot of confidence. I’d never been interested in bookwork at school, so I wasn’t sure I’d be smart enough.”
He needn’t have worried. Having decided to apply for a pre-trade at EIT to gain a bit of knowledge, he was offered a job by Advanced Plumbing HB within the first couple of months of the year-long course, and having only done three weeks’ work experience at the business.
“They were lined up to take someone else on and that person dropped out,” says Tyson. “I met with the bosses and told them if they took me on and pointed me in the right direction, I’d go as hard as I could for them. I was 27, and I knew this was my final shot to become an apprentice and make something of myself, so I promised I’d give them 110 percent.”
As Advanced Plumbing have discovered since, that’s the way Tyson is wired. “I don’t see the point in doing something if you’re not giving it everything, to the best of your ability,” he explains. “Otherwise it feels like you’re wasting your time.”
When first considering a trade, he hadn’t even thought of plumbing as an option. “Then one night I was watching the news and this plumber came on saying the industry was desperate for qualified plumbers but couldn’t find enough. I googled plumbing and up popped the pre-trades course at EIT.”
It was the right decision. Advanced Plumbing provide the full gamut of residential and commercial plumbing, gas and drainage services, and Tyson relishes the variety of work after his repetitive role at the freezing works.
“For the first six months, I went out with a tradesman on commercial jobs,” he says. “From there, I was under another tradesman on new housing for a year and then I got my own van and continued with the new builds as well as high-end work alongside other senior tradesmen. I’d be doing my own jobs or jumping in to give them a hand on their jobs.”
The new housing particularly appeals to Tyson, who says he loves seeing a project through from dirt to finished product—and there’s always someone to help out with ideas on how to solve a problem if he needs it.
“I’m a hands-on learner and there’s always something you’ve never seen or never done before,” he says. “Show me once and I’m away. There’s real satisfaction in figuring something out in a way that works well and looks good.”
Block course learning progress wasn’t quite such plain sailing, with Covid lockdowns and Cyclone Gabrielle flooding both forcing EIT to close its doors for months at a time. Tyson’s expected five-year plumbing, drainlaying and gasfitting apprenticeship journey ended up taking an extra six months—completing his final gasfitting block course this July.
Frustrating, for sure, but it hasn’t held Tyson back from becoming registered in plumbing and drainlaying, with his gas registration exam coming up imminently. A person who thrives on having a goal, he already has his sights on sitting his Certifying registration exams in all three trades.
He’ll admit it was a steep learning curve getting back into book learning at the start of the apprenticeship, but he knew it was a necessary part of moving forward in his career. “I had really good tutors at EIT and they held night classes to help if you were stuck with anything. Our workplace is big on attending night classes, so I did those for the first year.”
Advanced Plumbing Managing Director Mark Watkins says Tyson’s workmanship is of the highest quality and his outstanding work ethic really stood out when the team were helping the Hawke’s Bay community recover in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle. “He was out every day from daylight till dark, helping clean up,” says Mark.
“He worked tirelessly even in hopeless situations to give some repite to desperate homeowners. Sometimes his being there helping was the most valuable to the mental state of those affected.”
Not one to enjoy the limelight, Tyson says it was a team effort, with everyone keen to get out there and help out where they could. Working with Advanced Plumbing is like being part of a big family, he adds. “We work hard and we play hard. We all enjoy outdoor stuff, so we do a lot of hunting and fishing through our social club.”
With a fourth son joining their family three years ago, Tyson and Lysha have their hands full in their home life too. Lysha works as an office coordinator for a Hastings hearing specialist during the week, so their weekends are very precious. Saturdays are taken up with sports for their boys, including hockey, basketball and canoe polo.
Now he has a plumbing, drainlaying and gasfitting qualification under his belt and solid career opportunities ahead, Tyson can be assured he’s achieved his goal of providing for his family—with the added bonus that he’s found a job that offers plenty of challenge and variety.
