An apprenticeship is the only way to learn the plumbing, gasfitting and/or drainlaying trades. It is a partnership between education and industry.

Apprentices earn while they learn (no student loan to repay!) through a combination of:

• on-job practical experience (on-the-tools working on real projects and jobsites with qualified tradespeople), and
• off-job theoretical study (online and in the classroom at local training providers).

Apprentices complete all their block course modules, plus reach levels of competency to attain their New Zealand Certificate—a Level 4 NZQA recognised qualification.

It depends on the trade or the combination of trades being learned, and how hard the apprentice works to complete their studies:

• Plumbing, Gasfitting & Drainlaying – 60 months (5 years)
• Plumbing & Gasfitting – 48 months (4 years)
• Plumbing & Drainlaying – 42 months (3.5 years)
• Plumbing only – 36 months (3 years)
• Gasfitting only – 36 months (3 years)
• Drainlaying only – 24 months (2 years)

With the mentoring support Masterlink provides, our apprentices generally complete their qualifications well within these time frames.

You can apply for a Masterlink apprenticeship at any time of the year.

Apprenticeships do not have application deadlines or fixed term dates like University, Polytechnic or school courses.

Week-long block courses are classroom and workshop-based learning sessions and assessments held at regional training providers such as polytechnics.

Apprentices have to complete online modules before they can attend courses in person.

Courses are spread over the duration of an apprenticeship. There are around 18 weeks of block courses over a 5-year apprenticeship.

Masterlink manages block course attendance for our apprentices. We pay their wages while they attend block courses—and not all employers do this.

If our apprentices need to travel far from their host business to attend block course, we provide travel, accommodation, and some meal allowances.

Masterlink employs apprentices and places them with established plumbing, gasfitting and/or drainlaying businesses all over New Zealand.

Companies either become or are already Masterlink Hosts—hosting our apprentices for the duration of their apprenticeship.

These businesses provide essential on-job training and experience for apprentices learning by carrying out tasks in the real world, supervised by qualified tradespeople.

All applicants go through our recruitment process before being accepted as a Masterlink apprentice candidate.

They have passed:

• Phone and face-to-face interviews
• Testing for numeracy, literacy and mechanical reasoning
• Reference checks
• Criminal background check
• Pre-employment medical, including drug and alcohol testing.

Our candidates have the right stuff to succeed in our trade—a good attitude is essential, and we have a minimum requirement of a valid/current restricted NZ Driver Licence.

Support. We’ve got your back!

Practical support includes overseeing training, scheduling block courses, and arranging travel & accommodation if necessary. We pay wages from day one and manage all employment details including PAYE, ACC and HR.

We also provide holistic support through mentoring, additional Masterlink Training and our exclusive Wellbeing programme. Our Regional Managers check in with apprentices and hosts at regular appraisals.

We are constantly looking for new ways to support our apprentices and our host businesses, including keeping everyone updated with the latest industry news and available government funding.

Appraisals are quarterly meetings scheduled by our Regional Managers with apprentices and hosts. These check-ins make sure everything is on track for success and address any concerns that anyone may have. We facilitate discussions, provide advice, or make recommendations.

An apprenticeship is a commitment to years of training. All sorts of unexpected personal or professional changes can occur during that time.

Masterlink works to achieve the best outcome for all involved. Help just a phone call or an email away, and our team is here to support you.

No.

Masterlink can only accept apprentice applications from New Zealand Citizens, New Zealand Permanent Residents or New Zealand Residents.

Masterlink cannot accept applications from people who do not have the right to live, study and work in New Zealand. We do not provide immigration advice, nor sponsorship, nor any other assistance for people living overseas.

Anyone wishing to immigrate to New Zealand must contact Immigration New Zealand

No.

Our youngest apprentice is 16 and we have had apprentices qualify at age 50. Some of our top apprentices are career changers in their 30s.

The most important thing is that you have the right attitude and meet the other requirements we look for in an apprentice.

Yes!

We are proud of our female apprentices.

More and more companies are looking to increase the diversity in their workforce and some customers now specifically request female plumbers.

If you’ve got the right stuff, you will have a great career ahead of you.

Apply through our online form.

Attitude and motivation are essential requirements. We’re looking for people with a passion to learn new things and who are open to new experiences.

You need to be:

• motivated to succeed and committed to completing the apprenticeship
• a hands-on, hard worker who loves problem-solving and thrives on variety
• a great communicator with a good level of literacy and numeracy
• physically fit to carry out physical work, sometimes in challenging environments.

You will have:

• A minimum of a current/valid restricted NZ Driver Licence
• Plumbing, construction or agricultural experience working outdoors.

Masterlink apprentice applicants are screened for criminal convictions and driving offences. These are assessed on a case-by-case basis. Applicants must also pass a medical check that includes alcohol and drug testing.

We require a minimum of a valid restricted NZ Driver Licence.

The ability to drive manual vehicles is an advantage, but not a requirement.

No. You do not need to complete a pre-trade course before you start an apprenticeship.

We suggest applying to us before you undertake a course, so we can assess your suitability to the trades.

Completing a pre-trade does not automatically guarantee you an apprenticeship, but if you have no experience it is one way to find out if working in the construction industry is the right career path for you.

Our Recruitment Team processes your online application and schedules your first phone interview.

An aptitude test will measure your numeracy, literacy, and mechanical reasoning.

Promising candidates are progressed to a face-to-face interview with their local Regional Manager.

We carry out reference checks, a criminal background check, drug and alcohol testing, and a medical examination.

Successful candidates are promoted to our host businesses.

You need to successfully pass each stage to progress towards an apprenticeship.

It depends on the test and the circumstances!

If you fail your pre-employment drug and alcohol test, we will not proceed with your application.

If you fail your criminal background check, we are unlikely to proceed. This is because a criminal conviction can prevent you from becoming licensed after you qualify.

A certain level of numeracy and literacy is required to complete the theory involved in an apprenticeship. At least one of our apprentices who did not pass the test on their first attempt was so determined to become an apprentice that they took night classes to improve before applying again successfully!

Applicants are welcome to reapply if they were initially turned down due to lack of experience but have since worked with a plumber or laboured on a construction site, for example.

If you fail your criminal background check, we are unlikely to proceed with your application.

A criminal conviction can prevent you from working as a plumber, gasfitter or drainlayer, because the Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers Board (PGDB) requires licensed tradespeople to be of good character.

It is important to provide Masterlink with genuine information about your criminal background. We assess each applicantion on a case-by-case basis, but failure to disclose information is not helpful.

Successful applicants who have passed our recruitment process are promoted to local businesses looking to take on an apprentice.

When a business agrees to take you on, contracts are exchanged; Masterlink employs you and the company agrees to “host” you to provide your on-job training on the tools.

We handle all your admin and manage your training. Your Regional Manager mentors you; regularly checking in to make sure all is well, and your studies are on track.

Once you complete your apprenticeship, your contract with Masterlink ends and you can be hired directly by the business.

Support!

Practical support includes overseeing training, scheduling block courses, and arranging (and paying for) travel & accommodation if your courses are out of town.

Masterlink pays your wages from day one and we manage all employment details including PAYE, ACC, and HR.

We also pay you while you attend block course. Not every employer of apprentices does this!

Masterlink provides mentoring, additional Masterlink Training, and Wellbeing support through our apprenticeship programme.

Masterlink provides all new apprentices with a Starter Tool Kit worth $2,000. PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) is also provided, and there is an annual allowance for boots or additional PPE for the duration of your apprenticeship. We also provide Health & Safety training and First Aid Certificates.

All Masterlink apprentices become Master Plumbers Apprentice Members which offers exclusive discounts, benefits and connects you to the Master Plumbers community.

Masterlink deducts training fees from apprentice wages on a weekly basis.

Fees Free is changing. To learn more about the eligibility criteria, check your status or understand how these changes may affect your studies, visit Fees Free

We are open to discussions about financial assistance which is decided on a case-by-case basis.

Visit the Apprenticeship Costs page for the latest information.

Masterlink works with our host businesses to secure fair rates of pay for all our apprentices.

The minimum Training Wage set by the NZ Government is the starting point for apprentice wages.

An apprentice's experience and their value to the host business is taken into account during the sign-up process.

Your apprenticeship is a training journey, and it is important to remember that you are being paid while you learn essential skills.

Wages are reviewed every 12 months. The experience and skills you have gained are taken into consideration. The more training milestones you complete, the more likely your pay is to increase.

Qualified plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers are well paid and in high demand.

Masterlink has a pool of pre-screened and tested quality candidates eager to start plumbing, drainlaying and gasfitting apprenticeships.

Your Regional Manager (RM) will talk with you to find out more about your business and what you are specifically looking for in an apprentice. They will recommend candidates that they feel will be a good fit and arrange face-to-face interviews.

It’s all part of our service.

Your Regional Manager (RM) may contact you directly to recommend a candidate to you.

We also regularly email candidate profiles out to companies by region. To receive these, email admin@masterlink.co.nz or ask your RM to put you on the distribution list.

No, you can provide a candidate of your own.

We will put them through our recruitment process and if this highlights any shortcomings, we can work with you to support them as they find their feet.

Masterlink employs apprentices directly and places them with businesses who ‘host’ them for their on-job training.

As their employer, Masterlink handles all apprentice administration including paying their wages, ACC and KiwiSaver, managing their training and handling any HR issues.

We aim to keep the apprentice with the same host for the duration of the apprenticeship, but if things change, we work with all parties to achieve the best outcome.

Masterlink hosts (and apprentices) benefit from the support and flexibility we provide.

There is no upfront fee for the host.

Masterlink charges a weekly fee for the actual hours the apprentice works for you (approx. 42 weeks a year).

This rate varies, depending on how much you choose to pay your apprentice.

Masterlink pays your apprentice's wages when they’re on their off-job block course training, annual leave, stat holidays, or sick leave—all at no charge to you.

Your apprentice can be an asset from day one.

In the first year, apprentices are required to be directly supervised for restricted work, but there are plenty of other jobs they can do on their own by keeping in touch by mobile and sending photos of their work (for example, sizing holes in preparation for a pipe out, or digging a trench).

If your apprentice is carrying out the work of a tradesman, they should be charged out as such.

Your Regional Manager can discuss this with you to ensure you’re making a profit from your apprentice.

As an apprentice nears completion of their qualification, they need to sit and pass the relevant Tradesman Plumber, Gasfitter and/or Drainlayer registration exams.

These are set by the PGDB, and once they have been successfully completed, apprentices can apply to the Board for registration and a practising licence.

These exams are now embedded in the New Zealand Certificate and take place towards the end of the final year of the qualification.

If your apprentice began their apprenticeship prior to 2025 and have not yet verified their eligibility for Fees Free, they can still do so via this link: Fees Free | Study or train fees-free

If your apprentice has unused fees free entitlement pre-2025, they can access this until the end of 2025. Therefore, no training fee deductions will be made from their weekly wages until this entitlement is fully utilised.

If your apprentice began study on or after 1 January 2025, training fees will be covered for the final year of the apprenticeship only. Therefore, training fee deductions will be made from their weekly wages.

Masterlink is always up to date with the latest government initiatives to support you to take on an apprentice. For example, we apply for Apprenticeship Boost funding and pass it on to our hosts.

We can also keep you up to date with changing wage rates and explain the impact legislation (such as The Privacy Act) could have on your business.

By taking on an apprentice, you are committing to keeping them in your business for the duration of their apprenticeship. But we understand that even the best-laid plans can change.

If you were to face significant, long-term workload challenges, Masterlink could look to transfer your apprentice to another business—either temporarily or permanently.

Sometimes businesses share an apprentice so that they get the required hours and variety of work necessary to qualify. Contact your Regional Manager for assistance.

Our apprentices are bonded to Masterlink for the duration of their apprenticeship and not expected to move to another company without mutual agreement.