Unison Wins National Line Mechanic Competition
Tuesday 13 October 2015 – Unison’s line mechanics have been judged the best in the country, with the Hawke’s Bay team
winning the national title at this year’s Connexis Line Mechanic Competition, which forms part of the electricity supply
industry’s national conference.
The three-day competition, held at Mystery Creek in Hamilton, challenged crews from around New Zealand to test their
skills, knowledge, and team work in a series of tasks performed as part of their role as Line Mechanics.
Unison’s crew, with an average age of just 26, took out five of the twenty team events. They were judged on the quality,
speed, and safety with which they performed tasks, and were also assessed on their first aid skills in a mock accident
scenario.
“This is a great achievement for our team, and we are very proud of them,” said Unison Chief Executive Officer, Ken
Sutherland.
“Taking out the national title highlights that our crews are trained to the highest standard, and are focused on
delivery of quality electrical services to our customers.”
The team were understandably thrilled with the result.
“For most of us, this was our first year competing in the Line Mechanic Competition, so to win is amazing,” said Team
Foreman, Regan Walker.
“It’s quite a different type of pressure to complete these tasks in a competition environment – the key was to work as a
team, stay focused on the task, and to keep the communication going.”
The team all agreed the training and preparation for the event flowed through into their day-to-day work.
“You really analyse how you do things at these events, and it gives you a chance to look at how other companies carry
out the same task.
“Even things like how they set up their trucks. All these things are knowledge we can take back into our roles, to help
improve the electrical services we provide to customers.”
Unison’s winning team was Regan Walker (Foreman), Daniel Pitt, Hamish Weir, and John Anderson (Trainee), Dave Pearson
(Reserve). They were managed by Josh Wairama.
ENDS