Tēnā koe,

Welcome to the 2025 Young Plumber of the Year Competition.

Submissions for the 2025 YPOTY Branch Skills Tests are still open for our Platinum, Gold and Silver sponsors.  Some points to note follow.

BRANCH SKILLS TEST

These tests should be a quick-fire practical test focused on simple, fundamental knowledge and skills from the Plumbers/Gasfitters core trade competencies.

The following points are worth noting when formulating your test:

• HOW: A detailed diagram and process of your skills test is and how it will work.
• WHAT/FOCUS: what are you testing speed/accuracy, system construction, problem solving, servicing/maintenance, product knowledge.
• TIMING: Optimal timeframe to complete the test is 5 minutes in duration.  This should includes an introduction and overview.
• MARKING CRITERIA: Please provide and specific marking schedule criteria (timing, process etc.).

Branch skill test submissions are due no later than 4pm, Friday 28^th March 2025

NEXT STEPS

Once approved you will need to create several sets of your test (2-3 in case of breakages etc.) to cover your branch events.

BRANCH EVENT PREFERENCES

We have finalised our full event schedule.  Your preferences have all been accommodated.  This schedule will be shared with our Platinum, Gold and Silver sponsors shortly. If you have any issues, revisions, or feedback please make contact with daniel.keenan@plumbingworld.co.nz.

In 2025 sponsors will manage the transportation of their own branch skills tests and banners between allocated branch events.  Please bear this in mind when building your skills tests.

The Young Plumbers team will continue to manage Regional and National Final equipment logistics, as we have previously.

Thanks again for your support, we cannot wait to get into the competition schedule.

Ngā Mihi
Young Plumbers

TĒNĀ KOUTOU,

We would like to start our first update with a warm welcome to you all – our 2025 Young Plumber of the Year (YPOTY) family of sponsors.

Thank you for your continued support of the YPOTY initiative, because without you, we would not have a competition. We are excited to once again be working with you all in this space during 2025.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Timeline

To view the full timeline, Click Here  The first branch events will kicks off on 13th May in Palmerston North and Invercargill.  Please lock these dates in your teams’ diaries.  Over the next couple of months, our branch network will be holding launch events focusing on competition promotion and registration.

Official Sponsor Logo

Please utilise this as you wish. If you require this in a different format or are having difficulties downloading it, then please let us know. 

• Download Platinum Logo
• Download Gold Logo
• Download Silver Logo
• Download Bronze Logo

Promotion

The 2025 competition will officially launch on 1st April through the Plumbing World nationwide branch network, across our dedicated social channels and in the April/May edition of NZ Plumber Magazine. 3 further appearances in NZ Plumber (June/July, Oct/Nov and Dec/Jan) will  industry.

This website will also allow comeptitors to join Young Plumbers, enter the competition and view content, event photos and links to our social/sponsor pages.

Social Media

Our dedicated YPC Facebook and Instagram channels will continue to play a pivotal role in promoting the competition. We also encourage you to utilise your social channels and tag and use our approved hashtags to help build the competitions profile.

Tag: @youngplumbersclubnz
Hashtag: #YPOTY  #YPOTY2025 #YPC  #youngplumbers

Animated GIFs are also available to use in Instagram Stories by searching ‘YPOTY’.

IMPORTANT – PLEASE USE YOUR DISCRETION WITH WHAT IS SHARED ON SOCIAL MEDIA DURING THE COMPETITION.

We welcome your support throughout the competition however please ensure branch and regional skills tests are not profiled in any way during the branch and regional stages of the competition.

Collectively we need to ensure we maintain a high level of integrity when it comes to this competition for our competitors. We need to be able to ensure all competitors are on an equal footing.

Please adhere to this request.

Collateral

This will be sent to you to utilise through your own databases and networks and includes Posters, Registration Cards and social media assets.

We will be in contact with additional updates and information as the competition progresses.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any further questions.

Tēnā koutou,

We are now taking submissions for the 2024 YPOTY Regional Skills Tests from our Platinum and Gold sponsors. For your convenience we have extended this deadline to Friday 14th June. 

REGIONAL FINALS
Our regional finalists are being confirmed with some amazing tradespeople (and some familiar names) already qualified.  To view our 2024 branch winners please CLICK HERE.

Our regional finals will once again be held at offsite venues nationwide – to view the timeline please click here

REGIONAL SKILLS TESTS
Enhancing the quality of our regional final skills tests is paramount to the success of our 2024 competition.

By doing so, we push the boundaries of our competitor’s skills and knowledge, and aim to foster a culture of growth and improvement. Ensuring our tests are a significant step up from the branch events will help weave this progression into the competition.

Another essential aspect to this stage of the competition is diverse testing. By introducing unique elements not seen in previous competitions, we will level the playing field for our new regional finalists as they get exposed to your products and brands. This will enable us to ensure no competitor has an unfair advantage.

Some key requirements to note when formulating your tests are:

• WHAT/HOW: A detailed diagram/process of your skills test mechanics.
• TIMING: Test duration is to be 10 minutes, including intro/overview.
• MARKING CRITERIA: Specific criteria to integrate into your marking schedule.
• FOCUS: Speed/accuracy; system construction; trouble-shooting; knowledge?
• REQUIREMENTS: Power? A drill/driver? Please indicate so we can accommodate.  Tables will be provided, please bring any branding to support your test.

We’re committed to delivering on this in our 2024 competition so are here to collaborate with you. When creating your test, keep in mind these pivotal aspects. They’re the key to crafting an engaging, fair, and challenging competition that will truly test the mettle of our competitors.

PLEASE NOTE: WE NEED YOU TO FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON PRACTICAL/KINESTHETIC ASSESSMENT – NOT THEORY.

Our multi-choice questionnaire will cover the required theory so the skills tests need to focus on assessing real world, on the job knowledge.  Your expertise comes in here.

SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE NO LATER THAN 5PM FRIDAY 14th JUNE 2024

Please submit your regional skills tests through to daniel.keenan@plumbingworld.co.nz for consideration.

Once approved your test will need to be delivered to PW CROMWELL prior to the Southern regional final.  The Young Plumbers team will continue to manage the logistics around the Regional Final equipment stage of the competition.

We will work with you on how best to manage this.

Any questions please feel free to come back to us to discuss – we are here to help.

Ngā Mihi
Dan & Michelle

Tēnā koutou,

Regretfully we must inform you of the cancellation of our Porirua YPOTY event due to unforeseen circumstances, scheduled last night.  At 3:30pm our Wellington team made the call to cancel the event as a significant number of registered competitors were ill, rendering it untenable to proceed as planned.

We understand the inconvenience and disappointment this may have caused, especially to those who have made prior arrangements to attend. Please be assured that this decision was not made lightly and was guided by our utmost concern for a fair competition on the night.

Our Wellington team will continue to drive registrations with our Porirua customers and will look to take participants to join in next weeks events in the region.  Unfortunately rescheduling the event is not possible due to the tight competition timeline.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Should you require further clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Ngā Mihi
Dan & Michelle