Top Trades ākonga celebrated at Ara

_{Best in Class Painting & Decorating Pre-Trade 2025 awardees (left to right) Lilly Anderson, Mary Grassham and Ammie Wootton with tutor Tina Falconer}

Celebration was in the air at the Ara Institute of Canterbury Trades awards last night.

The Woolston Trades campus was filled with ākonga (students), whānau, employers and tutors celebrating completed certifications, new apprenticeships and course completion milestones.

Tutors enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with newly qualified ākonga – or grab the chance to sign off final paperwork signalling the end of their apprenticeships.

The mihi whakatau by Stan Tawa and welcome from Dean of Applied Technology Peter Sauer set the tone for a night of pride and celebration.

“It’s been several years since we held this event at Trades, so it’s especially uplifting to reconnect with industry, iwi and the Ara whānau in celebrating the achievements of our learners,” Sauer said.

_{(Left) Best in Class Level 4 Carpentry - Managed Apprentice Trinity Harris with tutor Mark Kyle and (Right) Women in Trades award winner Lilli Marshall with tutor Richard Hope}

The event saw 28 awards handed out for ‘Best in Class’ or ‘Apprentice of the Year’ across autobody, automotive, plumbing gasfitting and drainlaying, engineering, electrical, carpentry, joinery and painting and decorating.

Nine were awarded to women in a range of trades with the premier 2025 Women in Trades Award going to Lilli Marshall – a recently qualified automotive mechanic.

“I’m excited and happy to receive this award. I started at Ara doing Pre Trade, I found my apprenticeship at McGirr Motors and enjoyed coming back here for my night courses and block courses,” she said.

“The tutors have always been super-helpful and I’ve always felt supported. To be honest, being a woman at Trades has actually been no big deal – we just get on and do our thing.”

Her tutor, Richard Hope – the recently named New Zealand Tertiary Teacher of the year - said Lilli had been an exceptional student.

“She’s worked steadily and stayed on track during her apprenticeship. We’d love to see more women pursue this area of trades!” he said.

_{The 2025 Trades Awards winners}

A heart-warming moment came when Best in Class Painting and Decorating Pre Trade ākonga Ammie Wootton stepped up to the podium to emotionally thank her tutors and classmates.

Speaking afterwards, the award recipient said beginning study at the age of 41 had been life changing. It came about because she looked across at the Ara Woolston campus while completing Periodic Detention hours and she set her sights on it.

“The raw truth is the tutors kept me on track and now my life has completely turned around. From being at a very low point of addiction and losing my kids, I now want to succeed. It’s an incredible feeling that my family are now right behind me and proud of me.”

Newly qualified carpenter with Naylor Love Construction, Trinity Harris, won a Level 4 Carpentry Managed Apprenticeship – Best in Class award. She sought out carpentry after deciding a mechatronics engineering degree wasn’t for her and she hasn’t looked back and is grateful to chosen to study with Ara.

“Comparing my experience with others, I’ve seen that an Ara managed apprenticeship is far more supportive,” she said. “The structured monthly classes are a safe environment where you do all your bookwork and can ask anything. My tutor was there 100% in class and also contactable when I needed it on the job.”

Tutor Mark Kyle described Trinity as “smart and dedicated”. “Naylor Love is a big commercial firm, but they’ve provided Trinity with opportunities to get her residential carpentry work done too. She’s put the effort in, done it in good time and been a pleasure to teach,” he said.

_{Simon Webber celebrates with his employee John Cruz (left) and joins wife Kat celebraing their son Thomas (right)} 

For Simon Webber, Service Manager at Armstrong’s Subaru Christchurch, it was a double celebration – one personal, one professional. His employee John Cruz took out the Level 4 Automotive Engineering Apprentice of the Year, and his son Thomas Webber won a Best in Class Carpentry Pre Trade award.

“It was great to be able to celebrate the future of our trade industries and a very proud moment all around,” he said.

Sam Fangaiuiha claiming his Pre Trade award after a day on the tools in Ashburton and Shaugn Kilgour attending alongside employer Gary Woolf from Darfield’s Bray Street Engineering were reminders that Ara trains tradies across the Waitaha region and beyond.

Ara Executive Director Darren Mitchell commented it was encouraging to see trades businesses continue to seek out Ara graduates in pressured times.

“This ongoing interest speaks volumes about the strong reputation and high demand for our trades programmes,” he said.

With everything from cheers to tears and smiles, Ara’s Trades awards event was one to remember.