Electrical upgrade sparks a job surge

BY RICHARD EDMONDSON

A recruitment drive at Top Energy could be the biggest the Far North has seen in years.

The electricity lines company is hiring 40 staff to carry out a $184 million upgrade of its network aimed at improving reliability and security of power supply in the district.

About 30 of the positions will be based in the company’s contracting group at Puketona.

The rest will be based in corporate and network divisions in Kaikohe.

Chief executive Russell Shaw says current staffing levels are adequate for network maintenance and small capital projects.

But extra permanent staff are needed to build eight new substations and double the length of the 33,000 volt lines network during the next 10 years.

"It’s almost a new sub transmission network we’re putting in," he says. "The investment is akin to when the network was first created."

Mr Shaw says the company has filled some of the positions with trainees hired locally but has gone outside the district to recruit most of the new workers.

"There isn’t anyone else based up here who works on overhead lines and doesn’t work for us. There’s no other resource available."

He is confident the company will fill the jobs, despite losing 20 percent of its workers to Australian companies in the past 18 months.

"It’s a perfect time to be out in the market because quite a lot of other companies have laid staff off."

Top Energy could recruit new workers from Whangarei lines company Northpower which recently laid off 100 workers.

"We were involved in the communication to staff when they got made redundant and we highlighted that we would be hiring in the future.

"It’s a small industry and it makes sense to look after each other.

"The biggest threat we face is staff going to Australia, not to other companies."

Advertisements placed in national newspapers have offered workers the rare chance to construct a power network.

"They’re full-page ads and the banner has been ‘build a whole new network’.

"I guess in any construction industry you have pride in what you’ve created and that’s the sort of people we want to bring in.

"Not guys who want to go fishing or see this as a nice place to buy before they retire."

Applicants for the jobs numbered 150 after the first week of advertising.

The company has already filled positions as a technician and control room manager.

"At this stage, we’re not envisaging any major issues.

"We’ve had a good response and we’re very happy with the quality of the response."

- © Fairfax NZ News