hi guys/jax, can`t find anything about it, did it happen? cheers

Robbo/Jax and all other interested parties

Yes the meeting did go ahead with some very heated statements made from both sides.  The Minister even volunteered to "plank" on the piano so everyone could get the knife in (lucky he didn't as with the mood it may have happened). The Minister outlined his powers and got a couple of minutes into claiming "two plumbers went to the RRC" where he was stopped in his tracks by a Federation Member who put him right about numbers which lead on to a debate over numbers and Master Plumbers claims. An employee of a Master Plumber told the Minister his boss didn't have his vote and nor did Master Plumbers. He was told by his boss he was an employee member so he could get cheap training. I'm sure the Minister will be looking at numbers now. One person at the meeting with his wife got a personal guarantee that their case regarding overseas qualifications will get person attention from the Minister.  Discussions and fees and other issues occurred with so may points being raised about apprentices etc that the Minister has given his assurance to return to Napier within one month with the CEO of the ITO, the PGD Board and the Local MP for another meeting with the industry.  This will be very interesting.  Well done to all the guys in Napier and Hastings area who supported the organiser of yesterdays meeting. The organised who doesn't want to be named has helped the industry turn a huge corner.       

hi guys,
It was a great meeting and i was very impressed by the Hawks Bay plumbers and the all the Napier plumbers who arranged this meeting.
The Federation showed the minister that the plumbers of NZ were not going to be pushed around anymore,I feel he left the meeting with more facts and a better understanding of how unfair we are all being treated, because the people around him are lying & misleading him.
On a personal point i was very impressed by one lady who told the minister that his BOARD was being unfair to OVERSEAS plumbers ,which he guaranteed he would personally look into, I hope he keeps to his word!
she also claimed that most MASTER PLUMBERs only had the BADGE on there vans because it looked good, and that they didn't agree with the master plumbers at all, this got a lot of clapping and support and was then backed up by a plumber who said his boss only put them down as members of the Master Plumbers to get discount on training and when the minister asked if they supported the master plumbers they said a definite NO, then the minister asked if they were members of the federation (PGDF) there was a big shout YES, a lot of companies signed all there employees up to the master plumbers, most of them have not decided for themselves so this gives a incorrect figure to the about of members the Master Plumbers have! PGDF members have all chosen personally to be members not for financial of advertising reasons (like the Master Plumbers)but what they stand for! which are better training, fairer costs, support etc

wow awesome newspaper story, im going to print this off and put it up at local merchants we buy from in wanganui haha

Newspaper article was interesting - but I see they are quoting $6k for an apprenticeship - this has now increased to $8800.00.  Block course requirements have also changed and distance learning is gone for new apprentices.  There is pre-reading to be done prior to block course, but essentially what was distance learning now gets done at Polytec.  Block courses are generally 1 week's duration and happen every 17 weeks.  I'm not sure there was any consultation with those of us that train apprentices - there have been numerous changes to the system over the years - and I'm not convinced that all are for the better.  Perhaps the time is coming when practitioners need to be able to make direct arrangements with the Polytec and cut the ITO out altogether.  I struggle to see sometimes exactly what value add they give.  It would be good if there was an apprentice representative on the Board of the ITO.  Of the current Board member's I wonder how many actually employ apprentices and work within the current system?