Annual Connection is well into its third decade celebrating the skills and expertise of New Zealand’s Electricity Supply Industry (ESI), but the event continues to grow and evolve.
A key example of that was brilliantly on show at the 2025 event in Christchurch which played host to two new events aimed at ESI trainees: the Graham Evans Cable Jointer Trainee competition sponsored by TE Connectivity and the Supply Industry Electrical Apprentice Competition, sponsored by PowerCo.
The events were such a hit with organisers, competitors and observers they’ll be back for Annual Connection 2026, hosted by Counties Energy with Connexis in Pukekohe in October.
For Jono Ackroyd, Annual Connection cable jointing competition manager, creating the trainee competition was something of a passion project, designed to showcase young and rising talent within a small, close-knit part of the industry, and pay tribute to a Kiwi cable jointing legend in Graham Evans.
“Graham is such a big part of our industry. Most of the senior guys in the judging team last year have been trained by him. We’re a pretty small part of the industry so it’s always great to be able to catch up with people at Annual Connection and it’s a great opportunity to bring the trainees into that.”
Jono says adding the trainee cable jointing competition was to grow Annual Connection as an event, and involved more junior members of the industry, who will hopefully go on to compete in the main competition in the future.
“I thought it would be cool to get the apprentices involved in Annual Connection at an early age, without putting them off! The feedback from this year’s competitors was good. They thought the exposure was good, even though it came with a little bit of pressure,” he says.
Over a day of tightly-fought competition the event tested the three competing trainee cable jointers’ skills in an 11KV repair joint, spiking gun and an electrical theory test. The competition was won by Tia Fasi from EA Networks Mid Canterbury who was competing against Tyson Richardson from Alpine Energy and Anya Peacock from Connetics.
In pulling the competition together Jono, himself an industry trainer, chose tasks he knew the apprentices had been trained in and undertaken previously so they weren’t caught out by something they didn’t know.
“But aside from the competition, being at Annual Connection is a really great way for the apprentices to get exposure to what others are doing in the industry and how they might do things differently. It’s also a great chance to rub shoulders with some of the industry’s senior people,” he says.
Tia says she entered the competition without knowing what to expect but thought it would be a great way to gain good experience and have some fun along the way.
“It was also great to see the other Annual Connection events. I really enjoyed watching other people from the industry in their element. Both the jointers and lineys had some very impressive skills to showcase and the whole competition overall was quite the experience,” she says.
“My advice for anyone considering entering is to do it if you get the opportunity. What’s the worst that could happen? Just enjoy yourself.
“It gives you the opportunity to learn more about the industry in ways you couldn’t every day. The chance to network is also a benefit, you can really make a name for yourself by simply socialising with others. If I were to do it again, I’d prioritise talking to people. There’s an abundance of knowledge out there so take advantage of the opportunity to learn.”
Though the first trainee cable jointer event had just three competitors, it has proved such a success that Jono and the AC organising committee are hoping to open it up to more at the 2026 competition
For Luke Lightfoot from Independent Line Services, who organised and managed the Supply Industry Electrical Apprentice with Hayley Head from EAA, adding the new competition to the Annual Connection programme was important in recognising the vital role supply electricians play in keeping the network safe, reliable and resilient.
“It was also a chance to broaden the Annual Connection programme to cover more parts of the supply industry and showcase career paths to students and apprentices,” Luke says.
Over the day-long event the four competitors completed key tasks such as earthing and testing for electrical safety to reinforce safe working practices, cable fault finding to assess diagnostic ability and cable glanding and panel wiring to demonstrate workmanship, accuracy and attention to detail.
Luke says each competition task was designed to showcase core technical skills and critical competencies required of a supply electrician. “When combined the tasks reflect real world network and substation work for a supply industry electrician,” he says.
“It was a highlight for me to see the competitors taking on the tasks with professionalism and performing under the pressure of a judged event.”
The first Supply Industry Electrical Apprentice competition was won by Garth McGuigan from Mainpower, competing against Harrison Pumfrey, from Independent Line Services, Shania Cochrane from Connetics and Robbie Justice from Ventia.
For anyone considering entering in 2026 Luke says the competition offers a great change to challenge yourself and measure your skills against industry peers.
“You gain valuable experience performing under pressure in a supportive environment. It builds confidence, connections and momentum for your career.”