100 Years Of Plumbing The Heights

When members of the Master Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Society from around the country gather in Queenstown this weekend for their annual conference, they will be marking a special historical occasion.

This year, the Society celebrates 100 years since its foundation - making it one of the oldest surviving organisations of its type in New Zealand.

On the eve of the conference, the Society’s national president, Phil Routhan, said the Society had a long and proud history of promoting ever higher trade standards.

Mr Routhan said that while plumping and related trades could trace their origins back to ancient civilisations, their place in modern society was more important than ever.

“The health and safety of every New Zealander depends in a very real way on the work of tradespeople represented by our Society,” Mr Routhan said.

“The fact that most people simply take our work for granted is, in its own way, a tribute to the skill and experience that Master Tradespeople apply to their work.

“In the work they do everyday - from basic domestic plumbing to many of the major industrial installations on which the country’s domestic and export economy depend - our members and their forebears continue to make a significant contribution to the country’s wellbeing and development.

“We look forward to doing so for another hundred years and beyond,” Mr Routhan said.

Mr Routhan said the Minister of Health, Hon Annette King, would open the centennial conference at the Millbrook resort on Saturday, and that the keynote address would be given by the Deputy Chair of the World Plumbing Council, Stuart Henry. He said he expected some 250 delegates, observers and trade representatives to attend.

The climax of the four-day conference would come on Tuesday evening with the inaugural presentation of an award for Master Plumber of theYear - named the Centennial Award. It is a specially commissioned statuette carved from a solid block of West Coast greenstone by Hokitika craftsman Glen Surgenor.

Mr Routhan said the award would be a fitting recognition of excellence in the field of plumbing and would be judged on criteria including marketing, image and business performance.

ENDS

For further information, please contact:

Phil Routhan
National President
Master Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Inc
Tel: 025 2888 293

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