Electrifying industry event moves to ChristchurchSponsored
Annual Connection, managed by training provider Connexis, is a prestigious three-day competition that attracts national interest while also showcasing and celebrating industry trainee excellence.
The event sees crews of line mechanics and cable jointers from around the country compete in a series of challenges that put their workplace skills to the test.
To host the 2025 event at Canterbury Park on 21-23 October, Connexis is partnering with three local companies: Ōtautahi/Christchurch electricity distribution network Orion Group, Ashburton-based distributor EA Networks, and Connetics Ltd.
Entries for the 2025 competition opened on 17 April and will close on 30 June.
Connexis executive director Kaarin Gaukrodger says the organisation is thrilled to be bringing Annual Connection back to Christchurch, which last hosted the event in 2018.
"Bringing Annual Connection to Christchurch creates a fantastic opportunity to gather our Energy Supply Industry (ESI) companies centrally in the South Island. There is nothing quite like this event to showcase the skill in our ESI workforce, while demonstrating to the community how rewarding and varied careers in the energy sector can be.
"It will be great to see the different teams, as well as suppliers and supporters, from all over New Zealand gather in Christchurch to test their skills against each other over the three-day Competition."
Orion Group chief executive Nigel Barbour says Annual Connection is an event that's circled in the calendar every year by many in the electricity industry.
"It's a great opportunity to connect and reconnect with people across the sector and see the best and brightest in the field get stuck into the various skills challenges. We're absolutely thrilled to see the event return to Ōtautahi/Christchurch in 2025."
For EA Networks, co-hosting the Annual Connection competition in 2025 is an important part of its commitment to the industry.
"Our team is proud of the work we do in the field and it's great to have an opportunity to showcase this, and enable other lines companies to do the same," says chief executive Onno Mulder.
"Our field teams are proud guardians of our network and we want to be involved in building the next generation of skilled people."
Keeping our people safe is also a key driver for the company, Mulder says.
"It's about showing people that the work is exciting and challenging, but there are also a lot of safeguards that underpin the work, and it means we get our teams home safe each night. We're looking forward to being involved in a great competition this year."
Connetics' chief executive John Thompson says the company is backing the event as an opportunity to showcase the achievements of the energy supply industry.
"This event showcases the people within our industry, highlighting their skills, capabilities, and commitment to delivering the essential service of electricity to our communities - 24/7.
"We want to open the eyes of young people to attract them to our industry - an industry that can offer fulfilling careers and a broad range of opportunities, all the while making a positive difference to the world we live in."
The art of winning
Northland's Top Energy were winners of the 2024 Annual Connection line mechanic competition. Foreman Simon Bayliss said the trick to winning was overcoming some early nerves and being able to react well to unforeseen circumstances during the competition, held in Te Awamutu.
"By Day Three we were focused on getting through the day maintaining a high standard of workmanship within the time limits without getting any obvious penalty points. There were teams that seemed very sharp, so the win did come as a surprise to us, but we were super proud to accept the overall prize."
A personal highlight for Bayliss was knowing his team were competing alongside other highly skilled line mechanic crews, while also being able to showcase to the wider public what working in the electrical supply industry is all about.
"There's also a good vibe between the teams and within the industry. It was amazing to be part of it all."
Gaukrodger says a lot of feedback from those who attend and compete at Annual Connection is how good it is to connect with others in the industry from around the country.
"It is a competition but it's also a community and you'll see teams chatting in breaks and at the end of the day, sharing experiences and asking each other how and why they do things a certain way. It really showcases what a tight-knight collaborative industry we have."
Celebrating rising talent
As well as showcasing the job skills and expertise of the country's line mechanics and cable jointers, another highlight each year is the Connexis Energy Trainee Awards.
Held on the final night of Annual Connection, the awards recognise the most outstanding trainees from within the country's energy supply industry.
Firms from around the country nominate the trainees they feel have performed above and beyond in each of the following categories: Distribution Trainee of the Year, Transmission Trainee of the Year, Traction Line Mechanic Trainee of the Year, and Advanced Trainee of the Year.
One of the category winners is then named Overall Trainee of the Year. A fifth winner is also named in the category of Contribution to Investing in Youth Training and Development.
Gaukrodger says recognising the talent and hard work of the sector's trainees is important in raising the profile of skills that often go under-appreciated and unseen outside the industry.
"These trainees are the people in charge of electrifying New Zealand as we move the country toward a reduced carbon future."
"We will need a highly skilled and much larger workforce in the ESI to achieve the Government's infrastructure and energy goal. Celebrating the faces of the industry's future means we can highlight the opportunities for others who want to be a part of building and maintaining an essential New Zealand service."
Last year's Overall Trainee of the Year, Angelo Obus from PowerNet in Southland, says winning the top award means a lot.
"I'm very proud of winning this. There have been lots of challenges along the way, and I couldn't have done it without my people. I want to thank everyone in the PowerNet technical team in Invercargill. I've learnt something from everyone here."
Entries for the 2025 Connexis Energy Trainee Awards open on May 5, and close 25 July.
Find out more at www.connexis.org.nz
