The 26-year-old was named ahead of several promising fencers to become the Level 3 Trainee of the Year at the Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand’s (FCANZ) industry awards.
The award recognises outstanding achievement among 2024 graduates of the NZQA level 3 national certificate in fencing.
Mr Rathgen said he was working for his family’s business, Rathgen Fencing, but at one stage had wanted to be a cabinet-maker.
"I wanted to make top-of-the-line furniture that would get passed down to generations, and I ended up in Timaru for about a year and a-half and things didn’t end up going so well, so I ended up back on the fenceline."
He said the gap between fencing and cabinet-making was not as wide as people might think, but he had learned when to draw the line.
"Skill-wise there are things that help out with fencing. All that attention to detail has helped but you almost have to stop yourself because there is a big change from cabinet-making, where you are working within quarter of a millimetre, and having the same mindset in fencing doesn’t quite work."
He’s learned to balance the fine detail with the need to get a fence up quickly and profitably.
Mr Rathgen enjoys the satisfaction of fencing on farms and knowing the end result of all of his work can be seen.
More lately, he has got into competitive fencing to compare himself with the top fencers in the country.
He and brother Luke started the Down To The Wire fencing competition at the Ellesmere A&P Show at Leeston last year.
They hope to build up junior and professional competitor numbers in its second year.
An eye-opener was competing against top fencers for the first time in the Golden Pliers championship at National Fieldays at Mystery Creek this year.
A top-eight result in the future is now the end goal.
"I got absolutely whooped. Those guys are up there are pretty fantastic, and it does drive you to get up there again and give it another crack."
The competitive instinct extends to a friendly rivalry with his fencing contractor father, David Rathgen.
"Dad’s competitive as well, but he doesn’t show it as much so he’s better at losing than I am anyway. Some things he’s very quick and still beats a lot of the boys when it comes to digging stay holes and even at the end of a spade, he’s 60-odd years old and can still show most of the young fellas up with all those years of experience. You’re fooling yourself if you think you can beat them without listening to them."
He’s been fencing for eight years full time after leaving school at 16 and initially making kitchens briefly in Christchurch before working for his father and other contractors.
Mr Rathgen struggles to estimate how many hundreds of kilometres of fencing he’s since put up.
He said his early fencing experience probably worked in his favour in the fencing industry awards over younger fencers still learning the ropes.
The other finalists were Corbyn Gibbs, who attended all the training sessions despite recovering from shoulder surgery, and Hamish Stanger who balanced the academic requirements with fencing competitions.
In the end the judges went with Mr Rathgen for his commitment to excellence and willingness to help others succeed.
Other winners were Gisborne’s Dan French for the Level 4 Excellence Award, Otago’s Galen Monks for Emerging Talent, Manawatu’s Mike Billinghurst for Industry Contribution, Northland’s Donna Upton for Women of Influence and King Country fencer Wayne Newdick, who was recognised for his Lifetime Achievement.
FCANZ president Phil Cornelius said the awards recognised more than just skill.
"They celebrate dedication, leadership and the willingness to give back. Every finalist and winner is making the industry stronger, and it’s a privilege to acknowledge their work."
