Got a Trade Week Wraps in Christchurch
The inaugural GOT A TRADE WEEK opened in Auckland and wrapped in Christchurch, with more than 50 events held in between, including industry open days and tours designed to give students, teachers and parents a taste of trades training.
There was a video message from veteran broadcaster, Mike Hosking, who emerged as the week’s most vocal champion of trades.
“What I admire about the week is that, at long last, you’ve gone and taken all of those jobs and all of those opportunities, and stuck them out in front of the country and made us all think about the trades,” he said.
“It’s about time we got that message out there. And, I think this has been a wonderfully successful week. So congratulations. Let’s do it all again next year. And, I will be right behind you.”
Former All Black and MC for the evening, Ian Jones, also shared his support for the trades, having trained as an electrician in his formative years.
“I was a sparkie. Sean was a builder. Zinzan was a plumber. And, Frano was a drainlayer. Actually, he just dug ditches,” he said.
GOT A TRADE WEEK chairperson, Rachel Hopkins, told the audience: “This week was an experiment in collaboration, in commitment to our industries, in achieving big goals on a small budget. It was an experiment that struck a chord. So, let’s keep experimenting.”
Cody Webby (Licensed Renovations) and Ian Jones (former All Black)
Daniel Jone (BCITO), Cody Webby (Licensed Renovations), Andrew Robertson (BCITO) and Russell Clark (Licensed Renovations)