Site visit for Building Regula...
Our NZ Certificate in Building Regulatory Environment (BRE) in-class stream of students had the opportunity to see their learning...
Former wrestler Patrick Herbert has spent three years grappling with building consent regulations. The building control officer has mastered the NZ Diploma in Building Surveying (In Employment), Level 6 while working full-time for the South Wairarapa District Council.
As a teenager growing up in Canada, he tackled different challenges in the sporting arena. Patrick reigned as the wrestling champ of Vancouver Island for two years. In 1975 and 1976, he took gold in his weight division against competitors from the district’s main middle schools in the annual contests.
A top runner, he won the 50m sprint and came second in the 100 m race at the Jesse Owens running event at Bellingham in the United States. Jesse Owens, an American track-and-field athlete, personally awarded him a medal and a certificate.
Now 57, Patrick has finished a long-distance dash to earn his diploma in building surveying. “I decided on Future Skills Academy for the convenience of being able to work full-time, study after hours and stay in the North Island, so I could still do my job. The best part about this programme was all the knowledge I have gained from the course material and the tutors’ work knowledge that they shared with us.” The diploma has given him a better understanding of the building code and the legislative act, he says.
Patrick moved to New Zealand from Vancouver Island in the 1980s. His early career started with a carpentry apprentice in Vancouver followed by building for 38 years in New Zealand. During his leisure time, the Carterton resident enjoys hunting, fishing, diving as well as strolling along the beach with his wife and three dogs.
