Robert Piutau (centre) with this dad (far left), Building Construction & Services Lecturers Colin O’Gorman and Alan Warburton, and Carpentry Liaison Officer Leni Fifita
Last month Robert Piutau won the NZCB Apprentice Challenge Northern regional competition and then last weekend, at the national competition up against 19 other finalists, he finished second, narrowly missing out on first place. We’re very proud of Robert and his pathway who were an integral part of this great result!
Carpentry Liaison Officer Leni Fifita who was at the nationals, says that it was a “nerve wracking” weekend for Robert and his support team which included Robert’s mum and dad as well as Building Construction & Services Lecturers Alan Warburton and Colin O’Gorman.
On day one the finalists had five hours to design and construct a catapult, as well as participate in a 20 minute panel interview. Day two involved presenting for five minutes on a specific project, utilising only one picture. Robert talked about a very special and personal project: repairing his parents’ home in Tonga after it had been hit by Cyclone Gita. He talked about the challenges of a culture he wasn’t very familiar with, the difficulties of sourcing supplies on a small island, the lack of power and how he worked through these to get the house back into shape.
As part of the competition entry Robert also submitted a portfolio of his work from throughout his apprenticeship to date.
Robert is doing his apprenticeship with ABS Constructions which has provided him with a range of work experience across a variety of projects.