Over the last three months, Te Ara Tautoko Support Pathway trainee support workshops have been running across the country, offering mentoring and practical support to help trainees progress in their apprenticeships. Connexis CSAM Amy Young has worked closely with Rotorua Lakes District Council, arranging workshops for their trainees and opening them to other local companies. Two successful workshops have been …
A word from our Director – Nov. 2025
Kia ora koutou, Thank you for your continued support as we head toward the end of another big year and rapidly approaching the next stage of changes to the setup of vocational education and training (VET) within New Zealand. We are currently preparing Connexis to transition out of the New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology (NZIST – formally known as …
PRESS RELEASE: New Zealand’s outstanding electricity supply skills to light up Christchurch
8 October 2025 They keep the lights on and the jug boiling – now they’re stepping into the spotlight. More than 100 of New Zealand’s best line mechanics and cable jointers are set to show off their world class skills and knowledge as they compete in Annual Connection 2025. Annual Connection, organised annually by Connexis, the national training provider to …
Education through Connexis helps rebuild lives in Whanganui
For those returning to the community after serving a custodial sentence, finding employment is important to staying on track. For those with a criminal record, a job can be hard to come by. A new initiative at Whanganui Prison hopes to help change that and make it easier for some prisoners to navigate the change to life on the outside …
Back to win
2024 winning cable jointer Taylor Simmonds is looking to repeat his success at Annual Connection. Annual Connection 2024 winning cable jointer, Taylor Simmonds from Omexom in Auckland is gearing up to defend his title at the 2025 event at Christchurch’s Canterbury Agricultural Park, 21-23 October. “I’ve prepared differently this year. Last year I didn’t know what to expect but this …
Annual Connection: a judge’s view
If there’s anybody that knows what it takes to take on the responsibility of judging the skills of line mechanic crews at Annual Connection, it’s Phil Johnson from PowerNet in Invercargill. Phil has been a judge in almost every Annual Connection line mechanic competition since it was resurrected at the Hamilton event in 2002, stepping aside only once in 2003 …
A Word From Our Director — March 2024
Kia ora koutou, The first quarter of 2024 has included some reshuffling within our operating environment following the government’s announcement that it intends to disestablish Te Pūkenga. However, the key “need to know” from that process is that Connexis will continue to deliver infrastructure training for apprentices and trainees throughout New Zealand as we always have with no disruption to …
Powering dreams as a Senior Faults Coordinator
“It wasn’t as overwhelming as I thought it would be. I remember my first day at Aurora six years ago, seeing the system that they used and thinking I could never do that job. “Here I am now, doing exactly that job,” she says. The biggest challenge for Courtney so far has been that she started the role without an …
Pathway to Project Management: Kylie’s story
“I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of really supportive people around me, who pushed me out of my comfort zone. Now I push myself out of my comfort zone.” Kylie Bourke has come a long way since starting her civil construction career 26 years ago, in accounts administration. “I basically started doing the dishes and making the coffee!” Thanks …
Celebrating International Women’s Day
Happy International Women’s Day from all of us at Connexis. This International Women’s Day (IWD), on Friday, March 8th, let’s celebrate the remarkable women shaping New Zealand’s infrastructure industries and their significant contributions to showcase the exciting opportunities that await others. The theme of this year’s IWD is ‘inspire inclusion’; a sentiment we are fully committed to at Connexis in …