Testing the waters in an industry traditionally dominated by men in Fluro.
That sums up the experience of more than 30 female students from Nelson College for Girls, Nayland College and Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu at last Thursday’s tour of the Water Treatment Plant at Richmond.
Dressed in hi-vis vests, they dipped their toes (which were covered) into water reticulation, water treatment and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) monitoring.
It was part of the Girls with Hi-Vis annual month-long series of onsite nationwide events developed by Connexis, a water industry training provider, to introduce female secondary students to pathways in sectors like this via hands-on activities, and hearing from other women already in full flow.
One of those women is Kemble Slotemaker who seven years ago broke a glass ceiling at Downer’s water team in Nelson, becoming the first female member after starting out in a temp position before moving into Downer’s apprenticeship programme.
She was named Water Trainee of the Year by Water New Zealand in 2024.
Kemble now has four female colleagues at the Downer operated and maintained plant, and says chaperoning young women to get career ideas flowing had been “awesome”.
“I think it is very important to have a mix of men and women in any industry… and it’s awesome to give young women a bit more knowledge around the Three Waters, with the hopes that some of them come and join us and be part of the industry,” she enthuses.
“There're so many benefits to the water industry, it's an essential service for one, and we all really care about what we're doing and providing healthy, safe water for our communities.
“Myself and Charlotte, who has recently qualified and is 21, we both started as temps and there’s a few jobs over the summer that come up every couple of years, we're kind of a three-month contract.
“For me and Charlotte, it was a great way to kind of have an introduction into the industry, and then in that time, full-time roles come up and are filled, so I think that's a great way for anyone thinking about it to start, looking at temp roles and see what comes up.”
Women make up about 18 per cent of the New Zealand infrastructure workforce, a figure reflected across many trades.
Connexis executive director Kaarin Gaukrodger says the success of Girls with Hi-Vis is reflected in its growing participation each year and the increase in females entering infrastructure training.
