The Otago heats of the New Zealand Certified Builders Association Apprentice Challenge took place on Saturday at Otago Polytechnic in what organisers described as "gruelling" conditions.
Apprentices competed in a head-to-head, eight-hour build of a pātaka (community sharing cupboard) and were evaluated on workmanship, joint accuracy, material efficiency, safe working practices and the ability to follow a detailed plan.
Winner Nick Casey, 19, who worked at Build Smart Otago Ltd and volunteered as an on-call firefighter, said time pressure was part of the job.
"It was a tough challenge with good competition," Mr Casey said.
"The day went really fast and the margins were pretty tight, but pretty stoked to win it in the end."
Mr Casey was "nervous but excited" to compete in the national championships in Auckland in June.
"It’s the next step, competing against the best of the best," he said.
"If there’s a mistake, if they cut something wrong, there is no coming back."
Judges would assess the final product "down to the last millimetre", Mr Beel said.
"A loose screw could prove the difference."
The prize money for the national winner will be about $10,000.
It was a "learning experience" for all, Mr Beel said.
"They get to see themselves, judge themselves against their peers as well, that is the biggest thing and it’s the same in the employers when they come in later on — you know, they all wish that their boy’s going to be the one that’s going to win."
Tyrone Bell, 21, finished runner-up and James Duff, 22, took third. — Allied Media
