Girls with Hi-Vis helps build tomorrow’s workforce

The search for the next generation of skilled workers remains one of the biggest challenges facing New Zealand’s infrastructure and construction sectors. As demand for civil works, utilities and transport projects continues to grow, the industry is increasingly looking beyond traditional recruitment pathways to attract new talent and inspire groups that have historically been underrepresented in the workforce.

Girls with Hi-Vis (GWHV), delivered by infrastructure training provider Connexis, is a month-long initiative held throughout June that brings secondary school students onto major infrastructure worksites across the country to explore career pathways in the sector.

This year’s programme has now concluded, with employers across electricity, water, telecommunications and civil construction opening their sites to female students. Across the month, participants took part in hands-on activities and gained exposure to a wide range of infrastructure trades, from highway construction and power distribution through to water treatment. They also heard directly from women already building successful and varied careers in the industry.

Connexis Executive Director Kaarin Gaukrodger says the programme plays an important role in helping young women see what is possible in infrastructure careers, while also highlighting the value of vocational pathways that combine qualifications with long-term career development opportunities.

“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.

“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,” Gaukrodger says. 

“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.”

Now in its second decade, GWHV has grown steadily since its launch. In 2015, the programme involved three Electricity Supply Industry companies and around 50 students. This year, it expanded to 30 events nationwide, with more than 80 schools and approximately 800 students taking part.

“That growth indicates employers and school careers advisors 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 reports that the share of women in infrastructure training has doubled over the past decade, rising from 8% in 2015 to 16% in 2025.

Gaukrodger says the programme’s long-term impact is becoming increasingly visible, with past participants now returning to inspire the next generation.

“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.”

This year’s programme also included a te reo Māori event in Ōtaki, held on the expressway construction site at Te Pae o Tararua: Ōtaki to north of Levin.

As the June programme concludes, organisers say GWHV continues to gain momentum as employers and schools recognise the value of early, hands-on exposure to infrastructure careers and the role it plays in shaping a more diverse future workforce.