Tēnā koutou,

Submissions are still open for the 2026 YPOTY & AYPOTY Regional Skills Tests from our Platinum and Gold sponsors.  Our regional finalists are being confirmed at present with some amazing tradespeople qualifying after the first weeks of events.

To view our 2026 branch winners please click here

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

For our Platinum and Gold sponsors who don't have a specific skills test to showcase but would like to feature, please come back to us to discuss options.  We would love our complete sponsor family to feature during this section of the competition so open to making this work for you and your team as best as we can.

REGIONAL FINALS  - SKILLS TESTS
At the next stage of the competition the technicality of your test needs to increase to help us collectively test competitor's true technical skills and knowledge.

Ensuring your tests are a noticable step up from the branch events will weave growth and development into the event experience for our competitors.  This is paramount to the integrity and ongoing success of the competition.

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 we need to integrate into your marking schedule.
• FOCUS: Speed/accuracy; system construction; trouble-shooting; product knowledge?  Please tell us of the crux of your test.
• REQUIREMENTS: Power? A drill/driver? Please indicate so we can accommodate.  Tables will be provided, please bring any branding to support your test.

An essential aspect to this stage of the competition is the need for diverse testing. By introducing unique elements (maybe not seen in previous competitions) we level the playing field for new regional finalists as they come up against previous competitiors.  We're committed to delivering on this so are here to collaborate with you to ensure pregression from previous events.

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.

Please keep in mind these aspects as you formulate your test. They're the key to crafting an engaging, fair, and challenging competition that will truly test the mettle of our competitors.

TEST SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE 3PM FRIDAY 12th JUNE 2026

Please submit your regional skills tests through to daniel.keenan@plumbingworld.co.nz for consideration.  If you need more time please let Dan know so he can keep a tab of where we are at.

Once approved please bring your test gear and banners/branding to our first Northern region final at North Harbour Stadium on Tuesday 21st July 2026.

The Young Plumbers team will manage logistics around the Regional Finals from there and work with you on how best to return this after the final event in Christchurch on Thursday 20th August 2026.

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

Ngā Mihi
Dan & Michelle

Tēnā koe,

Submissions for the 2026 YPOTY Branch Skills Tests are still open for our Platinum, Gold and Silver sponsors.  These are due shortly for our Young Plumber AND Apprentice competitiors.  Some points to note follow that we hope will help you in the formulation of your tests.

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.

This year you have the option of versioning your test for our Apprentice division or bringing an entirely seperate test.  This is entirely your call and we suggest versioning your test is the most practical approach for your eventing team.  Happy to discuss this with you.

The following points are worth noting when formulating your test:

• HOW: A detailed diagram and process of your skills test(s) (YPOTY & Apprentice); how they will work for each division.
• 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.  A short introduction and overview need to accompany this.
• MARKING CRITERIA: Please provide specific marking schedule criteria (timing, process etc.).

With the apprentice division we suggest taking a more coaching focus to their test and marking criteria.  Branch skill test submissions are due no later than 4pm Friday 27^th March 2026.  We will extend this if required, please let Dan know so he can work through this with you.

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.  Given the new Apprentice division you may want addtional gear with your test kit.  We will leave this with you to work out with your team.

BRANCH EVENT PREFERENCES

We have almost finalised our full event schedule.

Your preferences have all been accommodated however until you see this we will not know where we need to make tweaks.  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.

Based on sponsor feedback the YPC team are working hard to ensure branch events are well organised compared to previous competitions.

LOGISTICS

In 2026 sponsors will once again manage the transportation of their branch skills tests and banners between allocated 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.

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

Ngā Mihi
Young Plumbers

TĒNĀ KOUTOU,

A warm welcome to our 2026 Young Plumber of the Year (YPOTY) family of sponsors.

Thank you for your continued support of the YPOTY initiative.  Without you, we simply wouldn't have a competition. We are excited to once again be working with you all in this space during 2026.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Timeline

To view the full timeline, Click Here  The first branch events will kick off on 5th May in Palmerston North and Invercargill.  Your specific event schedule will be circulated shortly.  Please lock these dates in your teams' diaries.

Over the next month or so our branch network will be holding launch events focusing on competition promotion and registration.  Please feel free to get involved in any of these if they fit in your schedule.

New Apprentice Division

In 2026, we are proud to expand the Young Plumber of the Year programme with the introduction of a new Apprentice division, proudly supported by Nexa.  Open to 1st – 3rd year plumbing apprentices (as at 1 January 2026), the competition will run alongside our YPOTY branch and regional events, ensuring maximum exposure and operational efficiency.  This will mean bigger events and better engagement both with our tradies and industry as a whole.

Following the regional heats, eight apprentice national finalists will advance to the National Final, competing in their own standalone apprentice competition, alongside the main event.  This will broaden our exposure and allow us to increase engagement and align with industry as the workforce changes.

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 2026 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  #YPOTY2026 #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 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

Tēnā koutou,

The 2024 Young Plumber of the Year competition launched with a buzz of excitement on Friday, with a hype reel kicking off our social media campaign, achieveing 936 plays over the weekend across our YPC Facebook and Instagram pages.

Following this we received a copy of the latest February/March 2024 edition of the NZ Plumber magazine in which we are thrilled to feature on pages 26, 31 and an editorial across pages 80 - 84.

It was here on page 31 that we unfortunately noticed a print error occured with the sponsor logos, whereby only some of the logos printed.  With the help of the team at NZ Plumber, the issue has been rectified and we will run a subsequent Ad in the next edition of NZ Plumber (Apr/May). View the correct artwork here

In the meantime you can check out the online version of the publication here :

NZ Plumber February-March 2024 (Online edition)

Registrations to date: 30

Ngā Mihi
Dan & Michelle

Tēnā koutou,

The following update provides some additional information to take note of regarding the upcoming competition.

Please click on the below link to view the 2024 supplier skills test schedule.

2024 Supplier Branch Event Skills Test Schedule

PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOUR TEAM

This schedule was drawn up with input from our branch network team.  If you have any questions or feedback around this, please don't hesitate in contacting Daniel to discuss.

We are here to help.

Ngā Mihi
Dan & Michelle