When Britney Scammell was at school she always wanted to be a nurse. “I had no back-up plan.” Part-way through a nursing degree, however, Britney realised nursing wasn’t for her, and she began to look around for new career ideas. At first, thinking it made sense to stay in the health sector, she worked for several years in dentistry. All …
GWHV connects trainee to bright future
A visit to a Girls With Hi-Vis event in 2023 opened up a whole new world for then 16-year-old Sofie McCormick. Sofie attended a Canterbury GWHV event hosted by infrastructure services company Ventia while still a student at local Ellesmere College. With her interest piqued in an infrastructure trade career, Sofie then landed an introduction to a possible apprenticeship with …
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 …
Keeping Stewart Island connected
Isaac O’Grady front row, second from left Isaac O’Grady knows all about the importance of teamwork. As an apprentice line mechanic and station operator on Stewart Island, Isaac works as part of a small PowerNet crew of three responsible for the maintenance and repair of the island’s electricity network. Being part of such a small crew in a fairly isolated …
Covid sparks new career for mum of three
When the Covid pandemic struck in 2020, it turned out to be life-changing for cable jointer Chloe Dean. She was made redundant from her office job as an immigration adviser. “Thanks to Covid I was forced to make choices I might not have made otherwise. I had nothing to lose and followed a dream I thought I would be too …
Joint hosts announced for Annual Connection 2024
November 21, 2023: A three-day competition showcasing the incredible skills of line mechanics and cable jointers will be held in Te Awamutu next year. Annual Connection 2024, held in conjunction with Connexis | Te Pūkenga, is a prestigious three-day competition that attracts national interest. It sees line mechanic crews and cable jointers from around New Zealand compete in a series …
It’s a wrap! Annual Connection and Excellence Awards
September once again saw our incredible people in the Electrical Supply and Telecommunications sector showcase their skills and expertise at Annual Connections. Each year that event closes with the annual Excellence Awards celebrating the country’s top electrical and telecommunications trainees. Congratulations to Alex Chandler, of Connetics in Christchurch, who was named the winner of the cable jointer competition at Annual …
Champion trainee finds new ways to fly high
When a previously undetected hearing loss changed Abbey Meiritz Reid’s plans to join the Air Force, the Christchurch 23-year-old was forced to reconsider her career options. After a stint working in retail after she left school with a strong foundation in maths and physics, Abbey began to consider a career in trades. She dipped her toe in with a pre-trade …
Alex Chandler — first time entrant takes out cable jointing competition
“I walked away from the last event on the last day, thinking I’d tanked it.” In fact Alex Chandler walked away from his first time as an entrant at Annual Connection as winner of the cable jointing competition. “I was pretty surprised when they called my name out.” Annual Connection is a yearly event put together by Connexis | Te …
Country’s top electrical supply trainees celebrated
Wellington 25 September 2023: Abbey Meiritz Reid’s passion for the electrical supply industry and technical skills involved in her work has seen her named New Zealand Trainee of the Year for 2023, despite being less than two years into her career. Abbey, who has been a trainee electrical fitter with Connetics in Christchurch since the start of 2022, has been …
