NZ Pride in Print Awards and Training Awards winners announced

The Pride in Print Awards and Training Awards winners were announced by virtual presentation on Monday night. Print NZ's Ruth Cobb congratulated the winners, saying that she was thrilled to be able to get out and celebrate with a few of them.

"On behalf of the PrintNZ team, cheers to the winners and everyone that won in this year's Awards programmes," said Ruth, thanking all the sponsors including B J Ball Papers for continuing to sponsor the industry Training Awards as well as Competenz, Heidelberg, Trust4Skills and the Print Finishers Association for their support of the programme.

Pride in Print Awards - Supreme for Logick and Gold for Admark Visual Imaging

(1) Auckland-based Logick Print & Graphics' Bee NZ Manuka Honey presentation box won its third Supreme Award as well as Best in Category for Paper & Board Packaging.

The finished product was a collaborative effort with input from a number of companies including Blue Star Collard, GLC, Larsen & Best, Newton Cutting Formes, Inline Graphics, Design Bind, Contact Labels, We are Society and L A Promotions. The job was produced on Extract stock made of recycled coffee cups supplied by Paper Source and also involved supplies from Kurz and Huber Group.

(2) Hamilton-based Admark Visual Imaging won a Gold Award for their Hamilton Beer & Wine Company’s craft beer van wrap, which features a bearded man with tattoos alongside a giant visual of craft beer.

Other Pride in Print category winners can be found on www.prideinprintawards.co.nz/assets/2020/PIP-Tabloid-for-web-.pdf

Print NZ Print Apprentice of the Year - Vanessa Hooton, Tainui Press Design & Print

Tainui Press Design & Print graphic designer and digital printer Vanessa Hooton has been named the Print Industry Apprentice of the Year 2019. Hearing her name read out during the online Pride In Print Awards evening on June 25 alongside family, friends and her work colleagues was a “surreal” experience, said Vanessa.

Gaining an insight to the sector while at high school through a once-a-week placement at a local newspaper, Vanessa went from knowing next to nothing about print to knowing this was something she wanted to pursue as a career.

BJ Balls Papers Workplace Trainer of the Year - Allen Masterson, Blue Star Collard

Allen has been a champion of training for many years at a company that has long supported training. He has a wealth of knowledge that he willingly shares and regularly identifies candidates for training and then mentors them through the programme. He has had many successes with this, not the least being his latest protégé who was named employee of the year.

“I think it is a huge compliment,” Allen said of the award, in what was also his first time as a finalist. “Not only to myself but to the group and the other staff that contribute to the training. It all comes from the top, the group has quite an impetus to training and further developing our staff.”

Print NZ Training Company of the Year - Graphic Packaging International NZ Ltd

Graphic Packaging carries out training across a broad range of topics and uses this as a focus for the future in improving quality, reducing accidents, and most importantly for succession planning. All staff have a training matrix which is reviewed annually and they are regularly looking for new opportunities to train.

Graphic Packaging International New Zealand plant manager Wayne Romminger said the company has a proud training history. “Of our apprentices at the moment, two are in printing, three are in die cutting, two are in glueing and one is an engineering graduate – so it’s right across the board. The apprentices have had plenty of support – supervisors and the people who put the extra effort in to train them. There are probably half a dozen people who as part of their job role, KPIs and responsibilities are now making sure these people turn into outstanding operators.”

Competenz Diploma of Print Management Student of the Year - Taryn Gannaway, Beacon Print, Whakatane

Taryn started her career as an apprentice in the industry and recognised the value her training provided and wanted to continue on with that. The Diploma has helped hugely with her confidence in having a say in the workplace and knowing her voice will be heard. Taryn is using her learnings to implement a formal quality management focus for the business.

Taryn said it was “quite special” to later replay the online awards feed and share in the commendations paid with her with family.