Testimonials

If you are a past Awardee and would like to submit your testimonial please contact us, we would love to hear from you.

Pete Johns JP ANZIM MIRHACE
Sheet Metal Engineer - Industry Advisor and Business Owner
A New Zealand Craftsman Training Foundation Overseas Training Scholarship provided Pete Johns with the opportunity to work on the Sydney Opera House while it was being constructed. That opportunity provided Pete with comprehensive training in all facets of his industry, and enabled him to begin specialising in quantity surveying and mechanical services.

He was transferred to the UK soon after and spent several years overseeing quantity surveying contracts in England. Since returning to New Zealand in 1975, Pete has been actively involved as an advisor to the industry.

He was the Auckland branch manager for Mercer Stainless for 12 years and is now the owner of Mahurangi Sheet Metals in Warkworth, which carries out contracts worldwide. "The doors the scholarship opened impacted my career quite powerfully," says Pete, who believes the shorter scholarships still have the potential to help young people excel in their chosen craft. "The scholarship could help a motivated young tradesperson stand out in their industry by gaining specialist knowledge about a specific operation, process, or piece of plant. That will also benefit their employer by providing valuable international links and extended capabilities within their workshop."

Morris says, "The scholarship was very beneficial for my career. It helped me really understand the workings of my industry, which in those days was very new." As a former employer of 75 staff Morris believes the new shorter scholarships would be particularly beneficial for helping good employees expand their knowledge and understanding of their industry by attending international shows, and experiencing leading edge technology first hand.

Rodney believes the new shorter scholarships would be beneficial for helping staff understand their employer's business better by visiting overseas clients or suppliers - and would be especially ideal if it could be tied in with the purchase of major new equipment. Rodney says, "As well as making a lot of useful overseas contacts, the young tradesperson will establish a lot of ownership with the new equipment, and his employer will benefit from having a staff member who is familiar with it."

Barry Wade ATSM(London), NZCE(mech), LAME
Aircraft Maintenance
Receiving a New Zealand Craftsman Training Foundation Overseas Training Scholarship in 1975 helped Barry Wade expand his knowledge of aircraft maintenance, and obtain international licences to certify planes.

Barry, who recently retired as a forward planning supervisor for Air New Zealand, says his time overseas was invaluable for his career. He had completed his apprenticeship with Air New Zealand, which at the time was only operating DC10s, and his scholarship allowed him to work on 747s at British Airways.

He says, "The scholarship prepared me to help Air New Zealand expand into different types of aircraft and technology. It also made me a lot more confident in my skills, provided me with some important international contacts, and introduced be to a much larger scale of operation." Barry believes the new shorter scholarships would be ideal for sending staff on specialist international courses to learn about emerging technologies like carbon fibres and computerised electronics.

He says, "The next generation of aircraft are going to be carbon fibre so we need people within our industry to be really knowledgeable about these different structures and the new technologies that will support them."

Ross Hammonds JP, CEng, MIET
Manufacturing - Industrial Consultant
Recruitment Advisor
A 1971 New Zealand Craftsman Training Foundation Overseas Award enabled Ross Hammonds to gain a broad understanding of industrial processes while working in a variety of industrial manufacturing companies in Melbourne. The experience and knowledge base that Ross received while working at three vastly different manufacturing sites, each with different processes and challenges, has enabled him to progress his career in New Zealand and work for many years as an industrial consultant servicing industrial manufacturing clients.

Now specialising in industrial recruitment, Ross views the new shorter Overseas Awards as a further platform supporting staff retention. He says, "Providing a promising young employee with an opportunity to work overseas in a new environment for a company in the same industrial sector, even for a short time, will certainly enhance the employee's career, expand awareness and add to the companies knowledge base on return. Achieving this without significant disruption to a New Zealand business or requiring the employee to change jobs will benefit both the Award winner and the employer."

Mike Tuck
Automotive Engineer
Receiving a New Zealand Craftsman Training Foundation Overseas Training Scholarship helped fast track Mike Tuck's career by providing him with comprehensive industry training at the British Motor Corporation in Sydney. The knowledge Mike gained about all facets of car manufacture, from research and product testing right through to spare parts, provided him with skills and experience that no one else in New Zealand had at that time.

Mike returned to New Zealand as a recognised expert and was promoted to a service manager within three months of his return, at the age of 22. He later went into business for himself and ran an automotive repair shop business for 38 years, which in its later years evolved into a specialised breakdown service. "The training I received enabled me to become a diverse operator," says Mike. "I was so lucky because I got a full introduction to the manufacture of a motor vehicle, whereas in New Zealand we only work with the end product.

Anyone who can get that level of international industry training will have a real advantage over other trades people, throughout their entire career."

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