Meet Flora Rivers, our 2019 Mitre 10 Trade Keynote Award Winner

We are very excited to announce the winner of 2019’s Mitre 10 Trade Keynote Award is Flora Rivers of Johnstone Construction.

It was a difficult decision as the three finalists were all of a high calibre. A huge thank you to the other finalists, Kellie Hinton and Jahna Stephens, for sharing their inspiring journeys with us and we wish them the very best of luck in their careers. The judges were inspired by these amazing wahine and were honoured to read their stories.

Flora’s application wowed the judges with her great attitude to life as a woman working in a non-traditional industry and her inspiring goals for the future.

It was noted that Flora’s sense of humour must help her out when things get challenging, one of her responses to what she enjoys about her job is;

“Having the ability to motivate even the laziest lad on site because they don’t like being shown up by a girl. I love hard work that may literally involve getting my hands and clothes dirty and that should be okay.”

Flora undertook her Level 3 Carpentry qualification at Unitec and was part of the Maori and Pacifica Trades Training (MPTT) Scholarship programme. She loved her time learning the basics as a pre-trader and even attended last year’s Women in Trades event in Auckland where she met her future employer! The pictures above are of Flora giving a range of trades activities a go and even meeting last year's Keynote Award winner Pip Buunk.

Flora is currently working on her Level 4 Carpentry qualification through BCITO as she learns the hands-on aspects of the construction world in her role as an Apprentice Carpenter at Johnstone Construction. Managing Director, Hugh Johnstone, is proud of how quickly Flora has settled into life on the tools and become an invaluable member of the JCL team;

“We searched for 3 years to find a woman to take on an apprenticeship with us and the wait was worth it. Flora has proven that jobs really do have no gender as she has taken her role and run with it, she is always looking for ways to challenge and extend herself. We are so proud that she now has the opportunity to inspire other women to consider a career in trades.”

Flora is not just working toward her carpentry qualification but is also undertaking papers in Construction Management and Engineering, all to help her toward her long-term goal of working on construction projects in the Pacific for the UNDP.

She was described by the judges as;

“…being one to watch, a role model in many aspects of her life and someone who is very grounded but has worked hard and deserves recognition!”

Flora will now work with Speechmarks to craft and develop her speech and public speaking skills so that she can deliver the keynote address at our upcoming event in Auckland.

A big thank you to our wonderful judges:

• Daimler Teves, Trade Marketing Manager at Mitre 10 Trade
• Diana Thomson, Public Speaking Coach at Speechmarks
• Pip Buunk, 2018 Winner of the Mitre 10 Trade Keynote Award and Senior Registered Driller
• Riripeti Reedy, Senior Advisor at Ministry for Women