Because we were the only school going, the day was open to any students interested in learning about New Zealand’s infrastructure industry, particularly the energy industry with Meridian. 

Originally the tour was to be at Benmore Dam, but because of adverse weather conditions, the site was swapped to Ōhau A Power Station, ensuring that our students could attend the event safely. 

The day started at Meridian’s office here in Twizel, where introductions were made; an overview of how the day was to be run was given, along with overalls and hi-vis jackets. The students were then taken to Ōhau A and given Health and Safety instructions before taking a station tour. 

The organisers put on a great lunch for our hungry students, and they were able to talk with staff on-site about their work. Practical hands-on rotations were set up, and students could try their hand at drilling, soldering and wiring, along with a few other fun tasks. Meridian made available some awesome staff who assisted our students in completing the tasks, and they talked about their trade and technical and engineering roles. 

The day finished back at Meridian’s office with the handing back of our Health and Safety gear, afternoon tea and some prizes and support packs to inform students more about the potential of employment opportunities in the Energy industry.

What a great day we all had. We want to thank Connexis and Meridian for making this event available to our students, and we look forward to being able to attend this event in the future. Many thanks to Lee from Meridian, who negotiated a change of venue for us to ensure that we could attend safely.