National carpentry tutors’ EQ immersion

A tour of the CBD red zone will give carpentry tutors from around the country first-hand experience of Christchurch’s post-earthquake situation. The tutors will be at CPIT for the National Carpentry Tutors Conference at on 4 and 5 December, which organisers have designed around a rebuild theme.

Along with the CBD tour, day one includes a talk by Christchurch Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) workforce strategy manager Simon Worthington, a tour of the residential eastern suburbs red zone and an evening function with a guest speaker from Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), as well as a presentation by author and social commentator Celia Lashlie.

Conference organiser, CPIT carpentry tutor Nick Matthews, said the rebuild was an appropriate theme for the conference as it was relevant to the whole country. “We thought people would be interested in Christchurch and seeing what happened here. A lot of their graduates will end up working in Christchurch, so it’s important they see first-hand the damage they have seen on the news. Even for those of us who live in Christchurch, it will help us appreciate the extent of the damage.”

Around 80 attendees from 15 polytechnics are expected at the conference, which is held annually at different polytechnics around New Zealand.

Day two focuses on national carpentry training issues. CPIT is in a unique position as a leader of the training for the Christchurch rebuild, and has responded with flexible delivery options. Other institutes will present on topic such as Facebook as a Delivery Tool and Wireless Devices as a Delivery Tool.

CPIT encourages and enjoys a high level of industry partnership in carpentry and across the institute. Matthews said the conference would not have been possible without the support of sponsors, which made attendance affordable. Placemakers are the major sponsor of the event, while Makita, Paslode and Winstone Wallboards have contributed prizes that attendees will take back to increase resources at their institutes.

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