The event at the MPTT Auckland Consortia was to celebrate all MPTT students who have graduated in the first half of the year from all tertiary partners who are members of the Auckland Consortia and to award prizes to the top student in each sector.
The event was emceed by Auckland Councillor Alf Filipaiana who introduced guest speakers, Dean Pouwhare General Manager of D&H Steel and Robert Piutau, who is a former MPTT scholarship holder, and now completing his apprenticeship.
With Unitec, MIT, Te Wananga o Aotearoa and NZMA all part of MPTT consortium, there was some serious competition between students who were nominated for the top two prizes in the Construction sector.
NZMA students, Toa and Carlos were both announced as Top Trainees.
As part of his win Carlos Tuhua was named Top Trainee in carpentry and was awarded a BCITO scholarship worth $1600 to cover the first year of apprenticeship fees. Carlos was nominated by his tutor Akama, due to his excellent attitude towards his course work, leadership and classmates plus 100% attendance. This was recognised by his classmates who also voted him to be the Student Representative. Now graduated with a Certificate in Building, Level 4, Carlos is employed as an apprentice by TKR Construction, who specialise in high end residential builds, and snapped him up within a week.
Troy Robinson, Owner of TKR said, “Carlos has been great to have on board, his willingness to learn, communication skills and practical knowledge is excellent, and he is doing really well here at TKR.”
Toa Johansson was also named Top Trainee in carpentry and was awarded a skill saw, sponsored by Livefirm Construction and Hawkins Construction. Toa is NZMA’s highest achieving female in Trades ever. Toa showed dedication through her attendance, and excelled at the course work which included theory. Toa also had an excellent attitude to work, and is always eager to support and encourage her classmates. Toa has graduated with a Certificate in Building Level 4, and also secured an apprenticeship within a week of graduating with SMC Construction.
NZMA, General Manager Operations and Business Development, Monique Le Marque said, “This is a wonderful acknowledgement for our students and highlights the rewards hard work brings. We are thrilled for Carlos and Toa and look forward to watching their careers develop. I would also like to recognise the role our dedicated tutors play – their engagement and support of our students is so crucial in providing a strong foundation for our students and their careers”.
