Tasman-raised Kahu Carleton-Heta Is A Finalist For The Master Painters Apprentice Of The Year Award

Tasman-raised Kahu Carleton-Heta, is making waves in the painting and decorating industry while working for ProColour Painting. This August Kahu will travel to Fiji to find out if he will be the Master Painters Apprentice of the year. A competition where Master Painters NZ chooses apprentices from four regions in New Zealand. Upper North, Lower North, Upper South and Lower South.

Kahu, 21, was selected as one of four finalists of 32 New Zealand apprentices competing for the award which recognises excellence in the specialised trade of Painting and Decorating. The competition looks for the most well-rounded and skilled apprentice and considers many factors, not only their trade skills.

Kahu, who is of Ngāti Tūwharetoa Iwi, is one of nine siblings and believes that coming from a large family has taught him to work well with others.

Introduced to painting at seventeen, painting a house with family int the weekends, Kahu took to the work quickly and was exceptionally good at it. He says, “It was a great feeling to be able to walk away from the project, with it looking brand new”.

It was three years later that he commenced working for Steve Mckenzie from ProColour Painting, where he says that Steve “gave me this opportunity and I have never looked back”.

While relatively young in comparison to his colleagues, Kahu has run complex jobs for ProColour Painting with a multitude of different paints, coatings and finishes. He says, “it is weird leading teammates that are older than me, but I just work with everyone’s strengths to get the job done to a high quality”. Kahu’s teammates enjoy working with him and value his leadership and drive.

Recently he ran a job, training another employee in aluminium window spraying to a high level of finish, this resulted in an amazing result and a very happy client.

When asked where he sees himself in five years Kahu commented “I would love to be heading the specialised coating division at ProColour and looking after my own team. I have worked hard for this and feel I am a standout candidate for the Apprentice of the Year Award.”

Procolour owner Steve says, “Kahu has a unique strength in his ability to learn and excel in complicated technical tasks such as specialised coatings and high-level finishes. He always shows initiative by bringing solutions to any issues on the job. His leadership skills are invaluable, and he has been managing and leading jobs since year two of his apprenticeship”.

Kahu’s dedication, leadership, and skill make him a noteworthy contender, and his story is one of exceptional talent and ambition in the trade.

© Scoop Media