***EDIT: Awards entries/nominations are now closed - finalists will be announced in early July.***
An amazing rollercoaster ride that has resulted in a promotion is how Natalie Thornton describes her experience of winning last year’s Hays NAWIC (National Association of Women in Construction) Excellence Award for the student/apprentice category.
Natalie encourages women considering entering this year’s Hays NAWIC Excellence Awards to just “go for it and be proud of your achievements”.
Entries for the 2017 Hays NAWIC Excellence Awards are open until June 5th, with the awards being held at the Aotea Centre in Auckland on 18th August.
Since winning the award, Natalie has completed her apprenticeship and is now operations manager and foreman on larger construction sites.
“At times, it still doesn’t feel real. I remember finding out I was off to the awards in Wellington and feeling nerves, panic and excitement all at once.
“After winning the award I was left with an intense feeling of achievement and accomplishment.”
Megan Rule who won last year’s Helen Tippett Award for actively promoting women in construction says entering the awards helps promote diversity while improving the industry as a whole.
“For me the success of this award is about participation and the opportunities to help each other achieve our goals.
“The awards highlight a variety of role models by profiling and recognising otherwise invisible women contributing at all levels which increases the diversity of our industry and ultimately the entire New Zealand economy.”
Lynne Makepeace, joint winner of last year’s Professional Woman of the Year Award, says winning the award increased her confidence and made her realise that she is actually good at her job and well-respected in the industry.
“It reinforced what people had told me in the past but I had never really believed it as I viewed it as “just doing my job”.”
Lynne says the experience of entering the awards provides an opportunity to reflect on career highlights.
“Take the plunge and enter, it is not until you sit down to write your submission that you will realise exactly how much you have achieved in your career and how far you have come.”
The awards have six categories which cover a wide range of roles across the industry. The categories are:
The Helen Tippett Award which celebrates achievement in advancing the interests of women in the construction industry.
Tradeswoman of the Year which celebrates the contribution tradeswomen are making to the industry.
Professional Woman of the Year which focuses on women who have managed a construction project or those who operate their own business in the industry.
Rising Star which celebrates women who demonstrate future leadership potential within the industry. This category is open to women who have worked in the construction industry for less than seven years.
Outstanding Achievement in Design which celebrates the design aspect of a construction project in engineering, architecture or urban/landscape design.
Excellence in Construction Services which honours the contribution of women in administration, sales/marketing or operational roles within the industry.
Student/Apprentice Excellence Award which is open to all women engaged in construction-related study or apprenticeships.
For further information on the 2017 Hays NAWIC Excellence Awards and for interview opportunities please contact:
NAWIC Communications Manager – Gina McKenzie – email: gina@realcommunications.co.nz
NAWIC President – Donna Howell – email: president@nawic.org.nz
