Ecanz Challenge

What’s the ECANZ Challenge?

The ECANZ Challenge is a competition open to all intermediate/senior electrical apprentices in NZ. (A term of apprenticeship being approximately three and a half years, so apprentices with at least 20 months on job experience and level 2 off job completed).

The prelims are a one day (8hour) project, normally held on the same weekend at around 10 venues across the country. This will happen on the 14th of March 2008 for Hawkes Bay and Taranaki, with the rest of NZ competing March the 15th 2008. The prelims demand a lot from not only the competitors but also from the regional coordinators. These volunteers are responsible for organising a lot of the requirements for these events.

All the competitor’s projects across the country are the same (for each category) and are judged to the same marking schedules. This ensures fairness and transparency at all times. The marks are collated and the highest 5 – 6 apprentices in each category become the finalists. This can mean that some regions are not represented in the finals and some have several who make it through.

The 2008 finals will be held in Christchurch from the 22nd to the 25th of July, and will take part alongside the ECANZ Canterbury and Westland Electrical Trade fair. The finals are two and a half days long, which start on the Wednesday and finish on the Friday, with an awards dinner on the Friday night.

As a competitor in the prelims, what can I expect?

Download the project information for the event you are interested in, this should help.

Why run this event?

This competition is a catalyst for us to showcase everything that is good about the electrical industry and what it has to offer. We encourage participation from all organisations associated with the electrical industry, in order to create a truly industry supported competition. It’s a lot of work, but the future of our industry is worth it.

Sounds great, how can I sign up?

If you are an apprentice keen to enter, download the entry form at the bottom of the page.

As an employer, can I help out in any way?

Yes! You can encourage your apprentice(s) to enter, they will be better off for the experience and you can also get involved. We always need good people to assist with judging, setting up, breaking down etc in a prelim near you, please contact us for the name of the regional coordinator in your area.