Apprentice of the Year 2025

Apprentice of the Year 2025 award is one of the highlights of the annual Pride in Print awards. It is an opportunity to celebrate emerging industry talent. The team at GSM donned our best threads and went along to catch up with the six finalists.

Pride in Print 2025 was held at The Cordis Hotel in Auckland on 4th July. As always, one of the most anticipated awards bestowed on the night is the BJ Ball Apprentice of the Year 2025 —propelling a select group of emerging industry talent into the limelight.

APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

For the Apprentice of the Year awards—usual practice is to select the top five but this year judges were simply unable to whittle them down from six final candidates. The Category Finalists for 2024, standing with their industry mentors behind, (front row from left to right) are:

Binding & Finishing – Jessia Moore of Imagine If Creative Studios
Reelfed Printing – Bradley Smith of Transcontinental NZ
Packaging – Toese Fauatea of Opal Packaging NZ, Cartons
Sheetfed Printing – Tayla Jones of Logan Print
Gravure Printing – Eligh Arthur of Gravure Packaging
Labels – Faamao (Paul) Müller of Wedderburn New Zealand

The BJ Ball Apprentice of the Year 2025 winner

Bradley Smith, print supervisor and flexographic printer at Transcontinental NZ.

Before a packed audience of well over 500, Mr Smith delivered a brief but very heartfelt speech,

‘This is incredible recognition, it is an unreal feeling,’

He also paid tribute to his fellow Apprentice of the Year Finalists and noted ‘that the future of print is in great hands with people like you—our industry is looking bright. I’m proud to be part of such a passionate, skilled and resilient Community.’

Transcontinental Packaging NZ print manager, Nick Ball, stated it had ‘been a privilege’ to watch Mr Smith ‘learn and grow through his time in the apprenticeship. Brad has always shown high enthusiasm and excellent attitude towards learning new things. He has already completed a certificate in business management level 1 and 2. He was a shift supervisor in the extrusion department for several years and is also now a shift supervisor in the printing department. Brad has also got an apprentice on his shift and has been tasked with working and leading the apprentice to become a qualified printer. He has come out the other end of the apprenticeship a great printer and I have high hopes for him furthering his career in the print industry.’

“An outstanding batch of graduates”

When introducing the Top 6 Apprentices of the Year and their trainers, PrintNZ Chief Executive Ruth Cobb described them as an ‘outstanding batch of graduates. We had trouble narrowing it down to our usual five—so tonight we have six talented individuals who have all been named as Apprentice of the Year in their individual sectors,’ said Ms Cobb. ‘Each has chosen a career in the printing industry and worked hard to complete their apprenticeship, and not just complete but to come out on top. This is a testament not just to them, but to their trainers, the businesses they work for and to their Competenz support team who ensured they got through’.

A career in print

GSM asked the six Category Finalists for some thoughts on what they enjoy most about having chosen a career in print. Here’s what they had to say:

Jessia Moore: ‘The print industry is always changing and adapting. There is always new information to learn and the possibilities are endless. There are so many things that blow my mind with what we can do and how it’s done. I love reading the printing magazines to see what other people are doing.’
Eligh Arthur: ‘The print industry overall is just massive. That in itself is an exciting prospect. There’s always room to learn and gain new skills which is something I find deeply gratifying in a job. There are always problems to be solved on a daily basis. And that is something I find really draws me to being involved in the industry.’
Faamao (Paul) Müller: ‘Working and learning alongside some of the best, if not the best, who have been in the printing industry for over 20-plus years. Taking in their knowledge, is something I don’t take for granted. The best thing about being in the printing industry? Every day is unique and different with its own set of events, challenges and opportunities.’
Toese Fauatea: ‘Working for this company is a blessing for me and my small family. I am proud to be part of Opal Packaging. I enjoy, as an operator, being able to move from one machine to another. I am hugely grateful to the people who have helped me through my journey. The leader, the supervisor and the other print and diecutter operators. I love every part of my job and take great pride in both my work and my workplace. I always check the quality of everything I do, and keep my work area tidy.’
Bradley Smith: ‘What I enjoy most is the sense of fulfilment that comes from completing a job to a high standard, from beginning to end. There’s something special about producing something tangible that others can see and use. The print industry offers a unique blend of creativity, precision and collaboration, with each day bringing new challenges. I also really appreciate the people I work with. There’s a strong sense of teamwork and pride in what we do.’
Tayla Jones: ‘I love being in the print industry. It is so unique and like nothing I’ve experienced before. There are always challenges at work and it keeps me on my toes. I also love how much I have grown in the years, and continue to grow and get better. I have dedicated myself to Logan Print. My younger self would be so proud with how much I have learnt and accomplished.

Congratulations to each one of you for setting such a high standard in print within Aotearoa-New Zealand.