Case Study: NZCB Apprentice Trust

How the NZCB Apprentice Trust Is Strengthening Support for New Zealand's Construction Apprentices 

Every year carpentry apprentices across New Zealand face challenges that impact on their training. Not on a build site, but in life. The cost of tools, travel, or accommodation mounts up. The pressure to make progress grows. And too often, talented people who could become excellent tradespeople quietly drop out before they finish their qualification. 

The NZCB Apprentice Trust exists to try and prevent that from happening. Established by New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB), the Trust provides discretionary financial grants to help apprentices overcome practical and financial barriers during their training, giving them the breathing room to stay on track, stay on site, and see their qualification through. 

Alongside its grants work, the Trust also supports apprentice engagement with the wider industry. In 2025, it sponsored a group of carpentry apprentices to attend the NZCB Conference and Expo, where the NZCB Apprentice Challenge Final Competition was being held. For those apprentices, it was a chance to connect with industry professionals, witness the best of their peers in action, and feel the full weight of what they are working towards. 

It is quiet, important work. And it is exactly the kind of work CGF exists to support. As the umbrella body for New Zealand’s construction associations, CGF focuses on strengthening governance, strategy and systems by helping member organisations do their work more effectively, sustainably, and at greater scale. 

“Watching them grow in confidence over the day was a real highlight. Since then, one student secured an apprenticeship, one is employed as a labourer, and the others are now completing L3 Carpentry at Toi Ohomai.”
Hamish Galloway: Galloway Builders Whakatāne 
Tutor 4 days a week - Trident High School ATT (Allied Trades Training) Programme

The Right Moment to Reset 

By 2025, the Trust had moved well beyond its establishment phase. With new Trustees, a new Chair, a new General Manager, and a revised Trust Deed in place, the conditions were right for a genuine reset. Not because anything was broken, but because the Trust had matured enough to think seriously about where it was going. 

The challenge was finding the time and structure to do it well. With Trustees spread across the country and only limited windows to come together in person, a well-facilitated strategic planning workshop was the answer, and CGF funding made it possible. 

What the Funding Enabled 

CGF funding supported bringing in an experienced, independent facilitator to lead a one-day strategy workshop with the Trust’s Board of Trustees. The facilitator introduced proven strategy frameworks, structured the day’s conversations, and ensured that every governor could participate fully, rather than someone having to manage both the process and the discussion at the same time. 

The result was a day that moved with genuine momentum, from broad conversation to clear, shared direction. 

What the Workshop Delivered 

• Clear strategic priorities and a more focused purpose for the Trust 

• Practical upskilling for Trustees in strategic thinking and planning 

• Refined grant criteria and assessment processes for more consistent, outcome-focused decision-making 

• Stronger alignment between the Trust and NZCB’s wider apprentice support programmes 

• A clear action plan with owners and timelines to ensure the strategy is implemented, not shelved 

Collectively, these outcomes strengthened governance capability, improved decision‑making discipline, and gave the Trust a sustainable framework for delivering impact over the long term, and a clear example of CGF’s capability‑building role in action. 

The Difference It’s Already Making 

Since the workshop, the Trust has operated with greater clarity and confidence. Decisions that once required lengthy discussion can now be made with reference to an agreed framework. Reactive decision-making has reduced. And the Trustees themselves are more capable, more disciplined in their strategic thinking, more aligned in their priorities, and more accountable to shared outcomes. 

For NZCB members and employers, the changes are practical and visible. Communication is stronger and the Trust’s initiatives are better aligned with the wider support ecosystem NZCB has built around its apprentices. 

Most importantly, the apprentices the Trust exists to serve are receiving more consistent, targeted, and easier-to-access support, assistance that is now guided by a clear understanding of where funding has the greatest practical impact on someone’s ability to stay in training. 

Why This Matters for the Sector 

Apprentice retention and completion is not just a welfare issue. It is a workforce pipeline issue. When sector organisations operate with clear strategy, strong governance and aligned systems, they can keep more people in training and help stabilise an industry under pressure. 

This is CGF’s role in action. Not delivering programmes itself, but strengthening the governance, strategy and systems of the associations and trusts doing vital work on the ground, so that work goes further, delivers more consistent outcomes, and lasts longer. 
 
For the Trust’s governors, the value of this investment was immediate and tangible. 

“The CGF funding allowed the Trust to step back and develop a clear, shared strategy while also lifting the strategic capability of its governors, resulting in more confident governance and more focused, consistent, and impactful support for apprentices over the long term.” 
Kat Ricketts, NZCB Apprentice Trust Trustee 

What’s Next 

Over the next 12 to 24 months, the Trust will continue to strengthen governors’ strategic capability, refine its grant and scholarship processes, and deepen alignment with NZCB’s apprentice support programmes. Communication between the Trust and NZCB staff will become more open and regular, ensuring the Trust is responsive, connected, and always focused on what actually helps apprentices succeed. 

CGF is proud to have supported this work, and looks forward to seeing the impact it has on the next generation of New Zealand’s builders.