Training Award And Medals Haul for NZME

Training Award And Medals Haul for NZME

NZME was bestowed with the coveted PrintNZ Training Company of the Year Award as well as five Gold Medals and nine Highly Commended Certificates at Friday’s Pride In Print Awards gala evening.

Gold Medals were earned for production of the Central Leader, BoP Times, New Zealand Herald 24/4/2015, Western Leader and The Weekend Sun 3/7/2015 -- representing five of 12 awards in the Publications/Newspapers sub-category -- with the nine Highly Commendeds being the second-highest individual company haul across all categories.

Earning the Training Company of the Year Award for the third time in five years, added to this year’s swag of medals and certificates, is hearty endorsement of the firm’s commitment to training and quality process, says NZME property, print and production group manager Dan Blackbourn.

“Our Ellerslie site is now printing commercial work that it simply was not able to in the past,” he says.

“We are wholeheartedly operating to the mantra of delivering ‘top quality, all the time’. That focus on every job we are entrusted with has been instrumental to us recently winning the very-much-welcomed Fairfax contract -- and indeed, production of the New Zealand Herald earned one of those five Gold Medals.

“As a member of our team recently commented, without such focus ‘we would be also-rans’ in this industry. These awards illustrate our company-wide commitment to quality, training, our team and to our clients.”

NZME Ellerslie operations manager Russell Wieck, who had the honour of receiving the Training Company of the Year Award on stage, says the awards represent the “culmination of a lot of hard work”.

“Our culture is to train -- we believe there is a future for the industry and we’re going to keep pushing and promoting for the industry and bringing young people through,” he says.

“We expect to be a finalist for sure and every win is a bonus and if we can win every year, then so be it.”

Mr Wieck says NZME has not compared itself to the training and quality processes being adopted by others in the industry, as “we push the barriers within ourselves”.

“We go over and beyond the apprenticeship system. We look to train specifically for our needs within the industry.

“We feel the culture within the business is that no matter what the subject matter is, the training is there and supported, and the people will take onboard whatever is required -- whether it is OSH, technical or business principles -- it doesn’t matter.

“It is extremely rewarding, it’s a journey we’ve been on through our own careers and we try to emulate that through the new people.

“I just want to thank the industry for the opportunity. There is a lot of life left in print, we are all for getting onboard and seeing how far we can go.”

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