Lexi Ford has always had an affinity for fixing things and is always interested in how things work. It’s why, when she was at Mercury Bay Area School, her teachers suggested she might want to think about a career in some type of engineering.
That idea led her to a Connexis Infrastructure Gateway placement, at Hopper Construction a civil contractor delivering infrastructure and land development services in Whitianga. Connexis Gateway programmes give secondary school students a practical introduction to careers in New Zealand’s infrastructure sector while they are still at school.
“If I see something that needs fixing, I’ve always just tried to fix it,” Lexi says.
Through Gateway, Lexi spent one day a week at Hopper while still in Year 13 at school, through the first half of 2026. While there, she worked with the Hopper team on project sites helping with different types of testing and learning how each site worked and what everybody did.
Through this period, she completed her Breaking Ground Level 3 Gateway programme. This experience helped her secure a full-time operational support role with Hopper.
Lexi says having already worked at the company through Gateway made the step into a full-time job much easier. As well as knowing the basics of the work, she also knew the people.
“Everyone’s been so amazing and nice. One of the challenges of only being here once a week when I was on Gateway was that was the only time I was on site, so it was hard to keep on top of some of the site work you need for the Connexis programme. The team here all try to help me learn and make sure I know what I need to.”
Lexi’s still settling into Hopper and isn’t yet sure what exact direction her career will take, she’s just enjoying learning on the job.
“I’m working behind the scenes of jobs and helping with quality control of the projects. I really enjoy it, and I like learning about what’s involved in different parts of civil works; understanding the background and how it all works.
“I’ll just see where that takes me for now.”
When it comes to other school students considering a trade, Lexi suggests giving a Gateway programme a try.
“It’s just a really good way to figure out if you actually want to do a job. It gives you the inside look at it. If you don’t like it, it’s OK. At least you know, and you can try something else.”
More information on Gateway Programmes:
Gateway Programmes combine theory with practical, on-job learning, with students completing unit standards through workbooks or eLearning alongside assessed workplace tasks. Connexis provides an assessor to assess practical work and support both the student and school throughout the programme, helping students gain industry-relevant skills and a pathway towards further training and employment.