North Canterbury News: July 08, 2021

NEWS
4 North Canterbury News, July 8, 2021
Jobs flush in water industry
By DAVID HILL
Ever thought about where your waste
water goes when you flush the toilet?
Amid the 3Waters Reforms is a
growing industry tasked with building
and maintaining agrowing
infrastructure and the Waimakariri
District Council’s water unit is keen to
attract young people before knowledge
and experience is lost.
‘‘The industry is an ageing industry, so
we’re always looking to recruit,’’ water
unit manager Joshua McIndoe says.
‘‘You can get asense of pride with
providing an essential service to the
community. We provide the most basic
service requirements for life ­providing
water and removing waste water.
‘‘No two days are ever the same. One
day you could be fixing aleak in the back
blocks of Oxford and the next day you
could be installing anew toby in
Kaiapoi.’’
The water unit is recruiting now to
add to its water reticulation team and
while it is looking for experienced
personnel, the unit has approval to take
on up to four apprentices later in the
year.
‘‘We have two positions open at the
moment and while ideally we need
people qualified and trained, we are
always willing to train people up,’’ Mr
McIndoe says.
‘‘For our apprentices, our basic
criteria is someone new to the industry
who is keen to learn and to have ajob
that’s got some security.’’
The water unit provides an essential
service, responding to weather events
such as the recent flood event,
responding to service requests and
completing contracts such as building
infrastructure in new sub­divisions.
Mr McIndoe entered the industry 11
years ago as an apprentice with the
Growing industry ... Waimakariri District Council water unit manager Joshua McIndoe is
keen to recruit young people to support agrowing industry.
PHOTO: DAVID HILL
Palmerston North City Council.
‘‘It’s not something you naturally
aspire to when you’re at school, but it’s
agreat opportunity and there are plenty
of career pathways. There will be no
shortage of work.
‘‘For many people you turn on the tap,
flush the toilet, use the washing
machine or have ashower and you don’t
think anything more of it until
something goes wrong. But it’s got to go
somewhere.’’
The benefit of being an apprentice in
the water industry is you learn on the
job, while getting paid and you can work
towards qualifications without
incurring astudent loan.
Apprentices with the council’s water
unit begin working towards alevel 4
New Zealand Certificate in
Reticulation, which takes about 18
months to two years to complete.
When that is completed, there is the
option of working towards the level 4
New Zealand Certificate in Treatment,
which allows you to work with both
water and waste water.
‘‘Once you get over the fact you’re
working with poos you realise there’s a
lot of science behind it,’’ Mr McIndoe
says.
Different equipment and clothing is
used for reticulation and treatment
work to ensure there is no crosscontamination,
he says.
At present the water unit includes
around 25 staff, including reticulation
and water treatment teams and
administration staff, and it will soon be
increasing to around 30.
Plan of
action
An emergency responseplan is
underthe spotlightinLeithfield.
Work hasstartedonthe plan
following the revision and
discussion around tsunami
evacuation zones.
The discussionstriggered the
need for an overall community
responseplan in the area, created
alongside aworkinggroup of
communityrepresentatives.
Last week HurunuiDistrict
Council’s Emergency Management
Officer Allan Griggmet witha
groupofLeithfield Village
residents to helpdevelop their
CommunityResponse Plan; aplan
of action if anatural disaster
occurs.
‘‘Communities fare much better
before, during,and after
emergency events if theyare
connected and have aplan,’’says
Mr Grigg.
The working groupintendsto
have adraftplan outtoLeithfield
Village residents by the end of
August for consultation,before it is
formally adopted by the
community.
‘‘These plansare much more
effective whendeveloped with a
community, ratherthan donefor a
community’’
In recentyears, theseplans have
been established for Waiau,
Cheviot, Amberley Beach and
Hanmer. ‘‘Our goalistocontinue
to develop and review these plans
with communities throughout the
district,’’MrGrigg says.
Smoke-free burning
means acosynest…
Learn clean burning
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warmercheaper.co.nz
Lowpollutiondaysand nights
require everyone with firesto
burn smoke-free.
You’ll get awarmerhome,
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…and better
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our tamariki.
LE22551-V4