64 | BUILDING RN Building T T Richard Loader Sam shines in apprentice challenge RN Building has been operating in Geraldine since 2018. Geraldine building firm RN Building has trained the Mid-South Canterbury region’s best apprentice this year, with Sam Keenan taking out the regional heats of the annual New Zealand Certified Builders Apprentice Challenge, before moving on to compete against 19 other regional winners in the national final in Christchurch in May. Sam competed against two Mid-South Canterbury apprentices at the regional heats in Ashburton in April. The competitors were given eight hours to build a fort which followed specific design plans and met minimum safety standards. With a lot of hard work, effort, and a few practice runs, Sam was able to stay ahead of his tough competitors and complete 99% of his fort, with just one tiny block missing. New Zealand Certified Builders industry pathways and apprenticeship manager Nick Matthews says the competition’s regional heats demonstrated the outstanding quality and diversity of apprentices training in the industry. He says they set the bar high ahead of the national final, and were a great opportunity for communities around New Zealand to get an insight into building apprenticeship training, and to celebrate apprentices who are excelling in their field. Sam’s employer Ryan Neutze says Sam was unsure about entering the competition despite Ryan’s conviction he could do well. “He was stoked to get past the regional competition and take part in the finals, which was a really valuable and unforgettable event, and our whole team went up to Christchurch to support him.” The national competition was all theoretical including a speech to hundreds of people at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre and a two-hour exam. The best apprentices in New Zealand also had their final challenge as part of the Certified Builders expo, just for fun and not part of their score, where they were tasked with building and racing a trike and trailer for the Great Apprentice Race. Sam teamed up with the competition’s overall winner Alex Erickson for this build, which while creative, actually ended up tipping over and losing a wheel during the race! Ryan says the publicity from the Apprentice Challenge has opened up some dialogue amongst the local public and RN Building clients who know Sam. “They’re all chatting and it’s a good thing to have when you’ve got a young guy starting out. People can see we have a good culture at RN Building, that we want our apprentices to have opportunities and we want them to do well.” RN Building has been operating in Geraldine since 2018. Ryan is born and raised in Geraldine and did his apprenticeship there, before getting into group housing for a number of years. When he got to the point where he was running these projects, it was time to go out on his own. With customisable house plans from homepacks.co.nz, client and subcontrator contracts from Certified Builders, and Ryan’s expert craftsmanship and love of building, he finished up with the housing companies and was set to go. He built one house in his first six months, another two before the end of the year, and has kept growing ever since. SOUTH CANTERBURY ROOFING Call us now for a free quote Thomas Ford 022 079 0067 scroofing2021@outlook.co.nz Sam Keenan took out the regional heats of the annual New Zealand Certified Builders Apprentice Challenge.
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