A first for MIT as carpentry student wins place in national final

Left to right- Paul Webster-Young, Auckland President NZCB and owner of the building company Twin Solutions from Matakana, Daniel Smith and Grant Boylan, Head Judge and Auckland Committee Member

9/04/24

Third year Carpentry Apprentice/student Daniel Smith has secured a place in the final of the NZCB Apprentice Challenge after his recent performance in the regional heats.

Both Daniel and fellow NZ Certificate of Carpentry student Luo Liu were tasked with building a BBQ table over an eight-hour period as part of the regional competition which saw eleven contenders pitting their skills from throughout the Auckland region.

Daniel will now go forward to compete in the national final in Wellington from 21-22 June where he’ll be required to give a presentation, undergo a panel interview and complete a building task.

This is the first time that MIT has had a national finalist in this competition.

Carpentry lecturer Taina Savage said he’s extremely proud of the performance by both our students, which helps showcase the calibre of learners we have in our programme:

“The chance to compete with apprentice builders from across the country is so awesome,” he says.

“I’m so happy that for the first time we had entries in this challenge, and then for one to win a regional place is excellent. Go for it, Daniel!”