Changing the face of who keeps New Zealand connected
Hands-on work experience is key to connecting young women with the wide variety of career opportunities that exist in traditionally male-dominated infrastructure trades, according to a local industry training provider.
Girls with Hi-Vis (GWHV) is an annual month-long series of events developed by Connexis, an infrastructure training provider for the civil construction, energy, telecommunications and water industries. Throughout June each year, GWHV sees New Zealand’s major infrastructure employers host female secondary students on site to demonstrate the career pathways available in fields such as highway construction, power distribution and water treatment.
While on site, students are able to try some of the day-to-day tasks required in different infrastructure trades and hear from women already building successful and varied careers in the industries.
Connexis executive director Kaarin Gaukrodger says that, as well as making more young women aware of infrastructure career opportunities they may not have previously considered, GWHV highlights the value of vocational pathways, offering tertiary qualifications while building a successful career in an industry with opportunities for ongoing development.
“At GWHV events the female students have fun and engage in opportunities to find out what these types of jobs really involve. They see for themselves that they are more than capable of doing this practical, physical work that is crucial to the health and prosperity of their local community,” says Gaukrodger.
“They also see the skills required and how they are able to gain those skills through work-based training they can complete while working, earning and building their career. Most importantly, it connects the students with local employers and the Connexis team who can work with both the businesses and the schools to find Gateway work experience placements that can lead to apprenticeships and jobs.”
GWHV has been running for more than 10 years, and Gaukrodger says its success in opening infrastructure trades to more women is evident in its growth and in the increase in females undertaking infrastructure training.
In 2015, the event began with three electricity supply industry companies hosting events and 50 female students in attendance. This year, 30 events are scheduled around the country, with more than 80 schools and 800 students set to attend.
“That growth indicates employers and school careers advisers recognise that young women have generally been overlooked as a potential workforce. Many of our schools and employers are also repeat participants, which is a good indication of the value they see in the event,” she says.
Connexis now has its highest-ever number of enrolled female learners, with the proportion of female learners doubling from 8% in 2015, when GWHV was first launched, to 16% in 2025.
“That growth is partly due to the ongoing impact of GWHV,” Gaukrodger says.
“We are now in the fantastic position of having women working in infrastructure careers who attended a GWHV event and are now passing their knowledge and experiences on to other young women at GWHV events being held by their employer.”