Skills Active announce Te Mahi Ako Apprentice of the Year candidate

Skills Active Aotearoa has announced Khiry Hewitt as one of  three candidates for the 2023 Te Mahi Ako Apprentice of the Year Award. Khiry has been contributing to the audio-visual and events industry ever since high school, with his first job being a part of the AV squad helping deliver the production; Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat. Now, Khiry is a senior technician at VIDCOM. 

The Te Mahi Ako Apprentice of the Year Award is now in its eighth year and goes to a highly skilled individual with commitment, passion and diligence, who is working to improve the wellbeing of New Zealanders, through the medium of active recreation, leisure or entertainment.

Te Mahi Ako is part of the Skills Active group and supports individuals to develop themselves through real-life learning within businesses, iwi and communities.  

When COVID-19 hit, Khiry’s entire industry was left without work overnight.

Khiry shared “whilst this was a huge shock to me, I knew that I had to use this time productively...the first opportunity that presented itself was the level 3 certificate in entertainment and event operations”.

After completing this qualification and returning to the office post COVID-19, many of Khiry’s Colleagues were made redundant.

Khiry added “I was the only technician in my branch...when I heard that the (level 4 entertainment and events qualification) was going to be made fees free, I jumped at the chance...”  

When asked why he wanted to pursue further education, Khiry notes it was to “obtain a nationally recognised certificate as well as wanting to inspire other people to be a part of the industry.” 

Khiry also advised that an additional challenge he had to overcome was “being the only technician at my work, this meant I had to reach out externally to find knowledge, inspiration and guidance”. Khiry also noted that the switch from practical, hands-on work to pen and paper forced him to change his perspective “from how we do certain things to why we do certain things in this industry”.

Khiry notes that the level 4 qualification he undertook has made him “more aware of how to reduce the risk of a show failing through building resilient audio-visual systems – gaining a deeper understanding of these systems meant that I could effectively communicate with my team and any potential stakeholders”. 

Khiry’s colleague Paul sings Khiry’s praises and states that “I have been working in the industry for 18 years and I am very impressed with the knowledge he has for his age. He has a professional attitude, enjoys his work and has a high work ethic - I predict he will go far in the events industry”. 

In the next five years, Khiry plans on supporting others to learn and grow; something he is deeply passionate about.

Khiry has highlighted that he would also “love to be in a role that I can use my current technical knowledge on whilst working outdoors. Professionally I would like to take the next natural step in my career and become a technical director”. 

About the apprentice of the year award 
The Te Mahi Ako Apprentice of the Year will be announced in November at the Recreation Aotearoa Awards. 

Skills Active Aotearoa Group is a not-for-profit organisation, 50% owned by Māori shareholders, supporting capability development in te ahumahi ā-rēhia: the active recreation, leisure, entertainment and events sectors.