BOP Polytechnic team donate competition seats to charity

There are a lot of people doing good things for other people in the Bay and this week it was Bay of Plenty Polytechnic’s turn when their carpentry team presented a beautifully crafted two-person bench seat to the Tauranga RDA Equestrian Therapy Centre in Welcome Bay.

The bench seat was one of five built as part of the New Zealand Carpentry Apprentice Challenge back in March; the regional leg of the challenge saw five of the Bay’s top carpentry apprentices compete against each other to build the best seat within eight hours.

Four of the finished products were donated to various charitable organisations throughout the Bay of Plenty, including Waipuna Hospice, Kaka St Special School, and Riding for the Disabled. The fifth chair will be auctioned on Trade Me with all proceeds going to the Tauranga Foodbank.

“We are absolutely thrilled with this piece of craftsmanship which will give a lot of pleasure to our clients, volunteers and their families,” says Kat Macmillan, Riding for the Disabled CEO.

The New Zealand Carpentry Apprentice Challenge is an annual event run by Polytechnics, ITAB and Certified Builders; it’s a chance for apprentices to demonstrate their carpentry skills and knowledge. The winners of the regional competitions advance to the national final to take on the best of the best – and there are loads of great prizes to be won.

“The apprentice challenge is a great opportunity for our guys to show us what they can do,” says Brian Dillon, Group Leader Carpentry at the Polytechnic. “Not only do they love the challenge, but it’s great for us to see how far they’ve come and how they’re developing technically.”

The apprentices are all enrolled in Bay of Plenty Polytechnic’s National Certificate in Carpentry Level 4; a practical building programme that is completed while students work. They get quality construction training required to become a qualified builder.