New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) Southland regional association president Paul Young said the usually annual competition was a chance for apprentices to get a taste of running a project on their own, early in their careers. It was a chance for the future generation of tradies to learn to read plans and gain insight into coordinating a project, he said. This year, competitors were asked to build a picnic table that met minimum safety standards, within a specified time frame; before a panel of judges assessed the finished products based on technical skill and technique, the quality of workmanship, precision, and the apprentice’s ability to work to a detailed plan.
Businesses are desperate for the work but they re getting spread thin. I d love to be charging more but we simply can t, Dempsey says. People are reducing their prices so they can stay afloat during these incredibly challenging times. However, I m not able to pay my staff more, even though their costs are going up.
New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) says while we ve had building booms and skilled trade shortages before, we ve never had such extremes at the same time. It s just taken a while to flow through, and it s been exacerbated by the incredibly high volume within the industry currently. So we ve just got a perfect storm, NZCB chief executive Grant Florence says.
People wanting a specific builder or a refurbishment to their home are being told they may have to wait one to two years due to a lack of skilled tradies.
New Zealand Certified Builders chief executive Grant Florence says there s a great flow of new and eager tradies coming into the sector - but still a major shortage of skilled tradespeople.
Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson
The housing boom and an ageing work-force has been exacerbated by a lack of international labour due to border closures.
Last month the Building and Construction Industry said the number of apprentices was at an all time high - 16,000 people are currently training for one of the trades.