2013 HITO Industry Awards Winners Announced

2013 HITO Industry Awards Winners Announced

22 October 2013

For immediate release

Every year, HITO (the Hairdressing Industry Training Organisation), Kitomba Salon and Spa Management Systems, and NZARH (the New Zealand Association of Registered Hairdressers) host the Industry Awards. HITO set the standards for beauty, barbering, and hairdressing, and run the barbering and hairdressing apprenticeship programmes. The Awards are one way in which they support and promote success in the industry.

The 2013 Awards were held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum on Sunday 20 October. The Museum bustled with the best in the industry as top businesses, tutors, trainers, and apprentices mingled with their colleagues and supporters. Mana Dave, three time winner of NZ Hairdresser of the Year and owner of BLAZE Salon in Auckland, hosted the event. Former NZARH/Kitomba award winner Belinda Robb, 2012 Apprentice of the Year Marianna Brown, and 2012 Jasmine McBeth Memorial Scholarship winner Kaleb Pritchard compered for the evening.

Erica Cumming, HITO CEO, said “It was wonderful to see the support and enthusiasm for the awards and award winners from all attendees. From new apprentices to experienced industry professionals, the Awards celebrated their successes in training and business. This was truly a chance for the best in our industry to shine”.

Tom Murphy, Kitomba CEO, agreed, saying “Tonight is unique – it’s a time when we can all celebrate the hair industry’s leaders of today, along with its leaders of tomorrow, at one glittering event”.

As always, the HITO Apprentice of the Year award saw some fierce competition. This year the award was taken home by Laura Williams from Jan Waite Hairdressing, also Auckland Regional Apprentice of the Year. The Apprentice of the Year Award goes to the best “all-round” apprentice, someone who shows motivation, commitment, and a willingness to go above and beyond to be the best they can be.

Laura is a fantastic ambassador for HITO, having represented HITO strongly in many areas over the course of her apprenticeship. She is a highly skilled hairdresser with many competition achievements to her name. This is Laura’s third year entering the award (and her third year as Auckland Regional Apprentice of the Year), and after those years of hard work and perseverance, her efforts paid off. Laura was overjoyed to win the award, and advised all the other finalists to keep entering and never give up because it could be them standing on the (Awards) stage one day.

Julieanne Hartshorne from Hi-Tek Hair Studio in Christchurch took home the Jasmine McBeth Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to one apprentice with the same drive, passion, and dedication shown by Jasmine McBeth, a young hairdresser who achieved success in the industry while coping with cancer (until she passed away in 2007). Jasmine herself was also acknowledged at the awards, with compere Kaleb Pritchard leading a toast to her and her many achievements.

The South Island shone at the awards, with the Jasmine McBeth recipient hailing from Christchurch and the HITO Tutor of the Year hailing from Invercargill. Donna Bowman, tutor at the Southern Institute of Technology in Invercargill, took away the Tutor of the Year Award, a well-deserved acknowledgement of her extensive contribution to the industry. As Laura Williams mentioned in her speech, tutors are essential to the success of the industry.

The Auckland region also had another success at the Awards, with the HITO Trainer of the Year Award going to Grant Bettjeman from Bettjemans. For Grant and Bettjemans, taking home this award thoroughly endorsed the importance of training, and especially of training apprentices.

Wellington was not to be left out, with Red Hairdressing taking home the HITO Training Salon of the Year Award for the second time. Diana Beaufort, owner of Reds, feels that they have really grown as a salon since last winning, and that receiving the award this year has validated all their hard work over the last five years.

Please read on for a full list of HITO Award winners.

HITO Apprentice of the Year
Winner: Laura Williams, Jan Waite Hairdressing in Auckland
Runner-up: Courtney Jackson, Be Ba Bo Hair Studio in New Plymouth

HITO Regional Apprentice of the Year
Northern Region: Kelly Clark, Rodney Wayne in Whangaparaoa
Auckland Region: Laura Williams, Jan Waite Hairdressing in Auckland
Midland Region: Amanda Pugh, Hair Affair in Putaruru
Mid-Central Region: Courtney Jackson, Be Ba Bo Hair Studio in New Plymouth
Central Region: Renee Edgarton, Promises Hair Design in Upper Hutt
Northern-South Region: Nadine Gratton, Ursula Harris Hair Design in Nelson
Southern-South Region: Nicole Clark, D’Or in Arrowtown
Jasmine McBeth Memorial Scholarship
Recipient: Julieanne Hartshorne, Hi-Tek Hair Studio in Christchurch
HITO Tutor of the Year
Winner: Donna Bowman, Southern Institute of Technology in Invercargill
HITO Trainer of the Year
Winner: Grant Bettjeman, Bettjemans in Auckland
HITO Training Salon of the Year
Winner: Reds Hairdressing, Wellington. Owner: Diana Beaufort
HITO Hairdresser in Training Photographic Competition

Judges Choice: Zoe Loveridge from The Hairdressing College in Palmerston North
People’s Choice: Shannen Moffitt from Allure in Auckland
Facebook Choice: Abbie Harvey from Charlotte Dawn Hairdressing in Whangarei

The Kitomba/NZARH award winners were also announced, with the overall Kitomba/NZARH New Zealand Salon of the Year Award going to H&B Hair Art and Beauty.

Special thanks to our HITO sponsors for the event: A Sharper Blade, Chilliebiz, Dateline, De Lorenzo, Goldwell, KJ Scissors, Schwarzkopf, and Shock Consulting.

ENDS

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