North Island Forestry Workers Fell Opposition

North Island Forestry Workers Fell Opposition

FITEC has recognised the best modern apprentices, trainees and companies in the forestry industry with North Island finalists scooping 12 out of 18 categories.

Each year FITEC calls for nominations in 18 categories, including excellence in safety, and outstanding contribution to industry training over several years.

John Blakey, FITEC chief executive officer says, Recognising the professionalism and expertise of our finalists is part of what the National Training Awards are all about.

Our finalists are those who have made a contribution to their workplace and/or to the industry beyond that required by their job. Recognising their achievements through the Awards is one way of thanking them.

This year the winners are:

Felice Croft from Croft Pole Distributors (Kamo) Northland is the 2006 Wood Processing Modern Apprentice of the Year. Her fellow finalist was Ryan Walters from OTC Timber (Otorohanga).
Felice has gained the respect from her co-workers through recognised achievements and her eagerness to participate fully as a team member. She has recently taken on the role of mentoring a new modern apprentice and she is about to commence studying the diploma in wood manufacturing excellence.

Jayakrishnan Radhakrishnan from Jenkin Timber (Henderson) is the 2006 Wood Processing Trainee of the Year. Other finalists in this category were Raymond Simonsen from Juken New Zealand Ltd (Masterton) and Wayne Davidson from Westco Lagan (Hokitika).
All of Jayakrishnans tutors have been impressed with the amount of preparation work he completes before his courses, which really helps attain excellent results. He has progressed quickly at work and under his leadership, there have been numerous improvements in quality standards, safety and packing methods, saving the company extensive time and money.

Colin Davidson from The Laminex Group Kumeu is the 2006 Wood Panels Manufacture Trainee of the Year. His fellow finalists were Andrew Clifton from JNL Masterton and Corrina Clarke from The Laminex Group Kumeu.
Due to Colins approach on the job, he has been promoted to a senior role running the pressing line. Most people in this area have been with the company far longer, but his attitude to training and learning placed him well for progression. He takes every opportunity to improve his skills and happily shares his new found knowledge with his peers.

The Laminex Group Kumeu is the 2006 Wood Panels Manufacture Training Company of the Year. The company was competing against one other finalist in this category, The Laminex Group Hamilton.
While The Laminex Group has the same training policies for all its sites, the Kumeu site has provided considerable technical input into several unit standards and generously provides information and advice to other companies in the industry.

Morwenna Glenie from the MAF Quarantine Service (Auckland) is the 2006 Biosecurity Trainee of the Year. Her fellow finalists also work for the MAF Quarantine Service in Auckland - Dunja Hassencamp and Barry Stichbury.
Morwenna is described as an outstanding candidate who has shown perseverance to be the first person to complete the national certificate in biosecurity. As well as being a biosecurity trainer, Morwenna gives awareness talks to schools and industry about MAF and its role in protecting New Zealand.

Ribbonwood Yarding Systems (Rotorua) is the 2006 Harvesting Training Company of the Year. Competing finalists were Fraser Logging (Richmond), Moutere Logging (Brightwater) and Blackhawk Logging (Rotorua).
A strong management team made up of Danny Arbuckle, Paul Squire and Phil Jennings are responsible for leading the company through massive change and restructuring while still managing to achieve results. They credit their success to introducing personalised training plans that benefit their people and the business.

Makoro Tipuna from Te Kapua Trust (Gisborne) is the 2006 Silviculture Trainee of the Year. His fellow finalists were Paul Woods from Makerikeri Silviculture (Rangiora) and Kesomi Lauti from CD Forest Service (Gisborne).
Summed up in a reference from Juken New Zealand, underpinning any organisation are senior people who provide leadership, mentoring and training of those they are responsible for. Mr Tipuna is one such person who without a doubt puts as much back into his organisation and the industry as he himself derives from every day work.

CD Forest Service (Gisborne) is the 2006 Silviculture Training Company of the Year. CD Forest Service was competing against Te Kapua Trust (Wairoa) and G & G Contractor (Brighton).
CD Forest Service was one of the first silvicultural contractors on the East Coast to achieve contractor grading status from the East Coast Forest Industry Group. Over the last few years, David has also successfully transformed a piece of boggy land bought for forest development into a thriving wetland for birds.

Tenon Taupo Mouldings is the 2006 Wood Processing Training Company of the Year
Jenkin Timber (Henderson) and Red Stag Timber (Rotorua) were finalists in the same category.
Along with its comprehensive employee training systems, last year Tenon took on two school leavers under the Tenon Processing Scholarship. It has also put three people through each intake of the Diploma in Wood Processing and makes significant contributions to industry qualifications.

Marty Potaka of Pan Pac Forest Products Ltd (Napier) is the 2006 Pulp and Paper, Tissue Converting Trainee of the Year. The other finalists were Rata Tutua and Mark Roia from Norske Skog Tasman (Kawerau).
Not only is Marty a shift worker, but he has a pretty full life outside of work coordinating a family with six children under the age of 14 - including twins. This year set a goal to achieve and accomplished his dream by planning and maximising his time he is a role model for future trainees.

Norske Skog Tasman (Kawerau) is the 2006 Pulp & Paper, Tissue Converting Company of the Year. Pan Pac Forest Products Ltd (Napier) and Norske Skog Mt Maunganui were competing in the same category.
Norske Skog Tasman (Kawerau) celebrated 50 years of papermaking last year and believes that the continuing emphasis on skilling its employees has had a major effect on its success. Apart from New Zealand industry training, Tasman puts employees through the PIL Skolen paper making course - with the Tasman students results setting the benchmark for this course.

With no other finalists in the category, Norske Skog Tasman (Kawerau) has also taken the Excellence in Wood Processing Safety Performance award.
With comprehensive safety training and preventative systems in place, in 2005 the Tasman site had just three employees away from work with lost time injuries and no lost time injuries for contractors. The declining numbers of injuries on site now allow their occupational health centre staff to work on wide ranging preventative health care initiatives for their employees.
Norske Skog believes that ongoing health and safety training for employees at work and for their home environments. As well as being ACC tertiary accredited, The National Safety Council of Australia has rated Norske Skog Tasman as a 5 star site.

Paul Jordan from Juken NZ Ltd (Wairarapa) and Mike Fraser from Fraser Logging (Richmond, Nelson) were named as joint winners of the 2006 Outstanding Contribution to Industry Training award. Competing in the same category was Andrea O'Brien from CHH Wood Products (Putaruru).
Pauls success in industry training is marked by his commitment to his employees. He finds ways to raise their self-belief beyond their own expectations leading to outstanding results in the workplace. A number of site employees have been nurtured through to level four qualifications and positions of high responsibility despite learning difficulties. Hes also made significant contributions to FITEC and the national qualifications framework.

The FITEC winners were announced at an awards ceremony in the Rotorua Convention Centre. In 2006, eighteen awards were presented, from a total of 47 individuals and companies short listed as finalists.

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