09/05/2026
This week I had the pleasure of going across the ditch to my first ARBS Event, if I had to use one word, INCREDIBLE, it was well worth the visit, 4 of our committee members were able to meet each other, have a photo and catch up.
I also attended a Seminar "Women at the Coalface in HVACR" which I found interesting, there are approx 95K registered Licensed Technicians in Australia, out of those 1300 are Women which takes that to 1.4%, this number is extremely low, I think these stats will even be lower in NZ, the same question keeps popping up, which is how do we get more women & men into this hidden trade, I've been trying for years to try and promote ( ) our trade where possible but we still have issues trying to attract not only the younger generation but anyone in general, I feel the only way this will gain momentum is we need our industry bodies as well as HVACR Companies to join up collaborate and do something about this, as one of the Panelists quoted "You Cant Be What You Cant See" which is very true, The HVACR Trade needs to be visible and be seen by everyone in order to learn that we are here and always have been from the birth of Refrigeration and HVAC.
In the same Seminar, Woolworths had their first Women Apprentice that went through the Woolworths Apprenticeship Program, she did face challenges through her journey which she overcame, she is a qualified tech and still works at Woolworths and absolutely loves the trade, she also mentioned that yes, there are differences between men and women when it comes to certain things, but there will always be an answer as to how to do the job differently, smarter and safer (she referenced lifting a heavy compressor, and said there lots more ways than using brute strength and she's right)
The Women in HVACR in Aussie have the 30 x 30 pledge whereby they are trying to get 30% of Women into the trade by 2030, this includes being involved in the trade in on shape or another, that's a big ask considering the short time frame, but again they are striving to do something about getting more Women in the trade rather doing nothing, perhaps something that needs to be done in NZ too?
Andre van Dyk
