Interested in a joinery apprenticeship or pre-trade training?
Joinery is a great career and there is a high chance of getting a job after an apprenticeship.
Joiners have an eye for detail, using timber and board products to make fittings such as cabinets, doors, window frames and stairs.
There are two training options in Nelson Marlborough – apprenticeships through the BCITO or ARA or the New Zealand Certificate in Carpentry pre-trade course run by the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT).
Read more below about these training opportunities and the Master Joiner businesses currently looking for apprentices.
Nelson Marlborough Joiner Apprenticeships
People of any age can become a joiner apprentice. You might be changing your career or have just left school.
Following a 3- 4-year apprenticeship you become a qualified joiner, and you could go on to become a foreman, CNC operator, or own your own joinery business.
As an apprentice you typically start on the training minimum wage and your pay increases as you gain skills and qualifications.
Currently, there are 40 apprentices training and working in Nelson Tasman and Marlborough.
Nelson Marlborough apprentices come from one of two training organisations, the BCITO, which offers the first two years fee free and ARA, which has all fees free for the first year.
With genuine support from our region’s Master Joiner employers, many apprentices have won the national New Zealand Master Joiner Apprenticeship of Year awards, and even Australasian awards.
The following Nelson Marlborough Master Joiner businesses train apprentices.
CONTACT A BUSINESS DIRECTLY if you are interested in joinery as a career.
Bays Joinery
Bays Joinery is Nelson and Marlborough's largest joinery manufacturer, with a diverse design and building background in both residential and commercial joinery. Bays’ joiners are professional craftsmen with exceptional standards of workmanship and attention to detail.
Brightwater Cabinetmaker & Joinery
The Custom Space
At The Custom Space we create beautiful, functional, truly unique spaces you’ll love working in, or coming home to. We are bespoke design, joinery and finishing experts based in Nelson New Zealand.
Complete Kitchens
Proud to be 100% Nelson owned and operated by Ryan, Hamish and Helen. Ryan is highly experienced in international joinery and building and Helen is a designer who works with clients planning and designing kitchens using a 3D drawing package. Complete Kitchens also offers complete wardrobe combinations and storage solutions for new or existing homes.
Cooper Webley
Cooper Webley is a kitchen and joinery manufacturer specialising in creatively designed kitchens. Their designs are a combination of functionality and unique provocative style. As well as kitchens, they also specialise in wardrobes, bathrooms, laundries, office furniture, acoustic panels and cabinet renovations of all types.
Re Space
Re Space (formerly Whole Wardrobes) makes a wide range of storage solutions including sliding doors, laundry and home office installations. Re Space supplies custom storage joinery in regions outside Nelson such as Blenheim, the West Coast, and Christchurch.
The Sellers Room
The Sellers Room is sought after for residential development across the top of the South Island, and is consistently engaged for commercial projects around New Zealand. Their measure of success is their ability to consistently deliver on their core competencies.
Viking Furniture & Joinery
Viking Furniture and Joinery is an industry leading company which produces high quality joinery for commercial and/or individual clients. The qualified team presents skill and care, along with sophisticated manufacturing techniques, for a wide variety of joinery including custom-made furniture.
ITM Joinery
ITM Joinery makes kitchens, stairs, windows, doors and custom-made items for the ITM Group of Stores in the Nelson/Tasman region.
With a modern and efficient factory located in Tasman, all items are made locally. ITM Joinery also has a joinery showroom presence at Nelson, Motueka and Takaka ITM Building Centres.
Nazareth delivers beautiful custom-made interior joinery, kitchens, laundries, wardrobes, stairs and doors for new house builds and renovations. Also making commercial shop fit outs, Nazareth is a one shop for all joinery items.
Local Custom-made Interior joinery, Kitchens, Laundries, Wardrobes, Stairs and Doors. New house builds as well as renovations and commercial shop fit outs we are your one stop shop for all joinery items in Blenheim.
Motueka Joinery
Motueka Joinery mainly specialises in creating custom-made kitchens. Along with kitchens they also design, manufacture and install bathrooms and laundry vanities, commercial office and shop fit outs, stairs, cabinets and shelving, wardrobes and storage solutions, timber windows and doors.
Prestige Furniture and Joinery
Manufacturing quality kitchens, vanities and custom furniture, Prestige offers an array of joinery including full kitchen fit outs, laundry, bathroom joinery, wardrobe and cupboard design.
Ruby Bay Joinery Ltd
Ruby Bay Joinery is a joinery manufacturing plant located in Ruby Bay, Nelson. For craft their designs from solid timber, specialising in hand-made, custom-designed windows and doors to suit every customer’s needs. Ruby Bay Joinery employ qualified joiners with many years of experience to manufacture kitchens and cabinetry.
Waimea West Joinery
Waimea West Joinery is a proven family operated business, established by Alan and Kathy Gibbs. Waimea West Joinery specialises in timber windows, doors and cabinetry providing a wide range of quality, made-to-measure timber products to meet the needs of their customers in the building industry.
Cantwell Joinery and Window Centre
A family owned and operated business servicing Marlborough and surrounds, Cantwell prides themselves in providing customers a full one-stop-shop experience for timber and aluminium joinery, whether building or renovating.
Nelson Marlborough Joinery Pre-Trade
The Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) runs a pre-trade course utilising its purpose-built workshops.
The New Zealand Certificate in Carpentry is a comprehensive certificate for apprentices or experienced carpenters working in industry. This is a managed apprenticeship programme and is a partnership with NMIT, your employer and you as the apprentice.
This programme is supported by the Industry Training Association Building (ITAB) scheme. Its first year is fees free.