Jake Hampshire

Auckland Airport - Taxiway Mike RSS2:

I started this role leading and organising multiple crews involved in all aspects of Welding, Fabrication and Fitting. The main objective in this area was working along side the engineers in identifying improvements and making decisions that boosted the efficiency of both installation, post-installation, repair work and designs.

After a few months of the back of my performance and leadership, I was asked to take on additional responsibilities, overseeing the Utility Section. This involved managing extra teams of 4-6 self performed crews and coordinating multiple subcontractors, all focused on delivering the following scopes of work:

Floodlight tower, CCTV and Transformer foundations, HV, LV, Comms and AGL ducting, toby box’s and light bases, water and sewer mains plus all the chambers.

I initially started working for CRL at the Karangahape Station, overseeing operations across both the Mercury and Beresford sites. Our primary focus was welding, fabricating and installing support steel aswell as organising the weld testing, heat bending, and gas cutting activities.
After 14 months at Karangahape Station, I transitioned to the Aotea Station (Te Waihorotiu) as the majority of steel work had been completed.
At Aotea Station, I continued my role but in a larger team, overseeing similar tasks. Additionally, I started organising and managing concrete pours and coordinated with teams responsible for the formwork and remedial work to progress the job towards completion and meet crucial deadlines.

Working alongside Fletchers on the Commercial Bay Project in Auckland was only ever a temporary position for me, as the project was nearing completion.
My role was to assist in finishing the remaining tasks that had not been completed and also address any issues that had emerged while doing so with the engineers. This required thorough planning and organisation of multiple teams to meet critical deadline dates and accomplish each task efficiently and to a high standard.

Upon my arrival in New Zealand, I secured my first job with this agency. I had the opportunity to transition smoothly to direct employment with the company I had been working for as they were eager to bringing me onboard their team.

While I primarily worked on the same site for the majority of my time, I was always willing to move around as required. My main site was the Commercial Bay building.

During my time at Antec, I was involved in welding, fabrication and machining. I had the privilege of leading multiple teams and mentoring younger apprentices during my time at Antec. It was incredibly rewarding to share my knowledge and expertise in welding and fabrication with others, helping them grow and develop their skills.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time here and working in Australia however, my departure was inevitable as my visa was coming to an end, and I had plans to move to New Zealand.

Starting out as a mobile welder around site. Not long after joining the company thanks to my strong work ethic and eagerness to learn, I quickly earned the opportunity to take on more responsibilities at Tata Steel. In addition to welding, I began gouging, gas cutting, steel fabrication, and installations. This hands-on experience not only deepened my understanding of site operations but also enhanced my learning of reading and interpreting technical drawings.
Over time, I advanced to independently completing tasks and even took on leadership roles, guiding and supervising others in the process.

Choosing to join Forgemasters was a chance for me to get into the site environment as i wanted to further my learning. Despite my initial lack of experience, I was enthusiastic about gaining hands on experience in this environment. All the work was heavy duty which allowed me to gain significant welding experience.
This also helped me gain a huge amount of confidence in my own abilities and in working with others too.

My first ever job was at Don Valley Steel Fabrication / Engineering, where i learned all areas of steel industry, such as welding, fabrication, oxy/gas cutting, and interpreting shop drawings. After a year of hands-on experience and mentorship from highly skilled welders and fabricators, I underwent welding certification, successfully obtaining a Class 1 / Grade A ticket.
I hold fond memories of my time at Don Valley, and I am deeply thankful for the invaluable skills, knowledge, and experiences I gained from everyone there.