A Dunedin apprentice plumber has sealed the top spot at a nationwide plumbing award show.
On Friday, 21-year-old Masterlink apprentice plumber Trent Toomey was named the overall winner of the Plumbing World Scholarship, presented by the 2025 New Zealand Plumbing Awards Ceremony held in Brisbane.
He was awarded a $1000 credit at Plumbing World and a registration to the 2026 New Zealand Plumbing Conference, which includes flights, accommodation and a guest ticket for the New Zealand Plumbing Awards.
His employers, Gas and Water owners Shelley and Sean Reynolds, said Mr Toomey turned up to work every day with a “smile on his face”.
“Trent actively seeks out areas where he can contribute, anticipating how the job is to be done, and is eager to learn new skills.
“If Trent completes his scheduled work before the end of the working day, he does not hesitate to request additional jobs.”
Within his three-year apprenticeship, Mr Toomey has already passed his plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying registration exams with high marks.
This was not his first award in his short career. Last year Mr Toomey won the Trustees Apprentice Award for Otago at the 2024 Mac Mackenzie Trust Awards, which recognises second-year apprentices who excel in their training or overcome significant challenges.
Masterlink regional manager Danny Ledwith said Mr Toomey’s “proactive attitude” while completing his apprenticeship was a clear demonstration of his “personal growth and maturity”.
“Twelve months ago, Trent took full responsibility for his learning and committed to completing all of his online and on-job assessments, impressively getting ahead of the curriculum by finishing assessments before they were even released,” he said.
