Tried. Tested. And STIHL here

A five-year exclusive deal with STIHL Ltd, delivered through STIHL SHOP Hamilton East, is allowing Wintec students to get their hands on the newest, most reliable chainsaws in New Zealand.

Wintec student sharpens saw after a day using it in the field.

The deal allows Wintec to change out ten saws per year across the term of the five-year agreement and includes free training from STIHL’s maintenance division in Auckland. Wintec arboriculture tutor, Rob Graham, says that the relationship with STIHL in Hamilton East has been in place for 40 years – ever since the course was based out at Hamilton Gardens.

“We’ve always had STIHL as the majority of our chainsaws at Wintec. Some we’ve been using here are older than the students. Damn reliable.”

Rob, who had a hand in brokering the deal with the STIHL store owner, Joel Hansen, says the ability to change out the chainsaws is beneficial for ākonga: “The chainsaws can have a pretty rough life with students.”

As part of the change out, ten brand new saws were delivered to Wintec last month -  a mix of petrol and battery-powered: “The battery-powered saws (190T and the MS 201 TC) are light and less noisy, for working up a tree. The petrol saws, as you would expect, are better for on-the-groundwork.”

Wintec arboriculture student maintains new STIHL saw at Wintec's Rotokauri Campus.

For STIHL commercial manager, Brad Cathcart, the agreement is all about helping to equip and develop the next generation of arborists.

“The team at Wintec, particularly Rob Graham and former staff member Andrew Harrison, have done an outstanding job developing young people entering the industry and helping build the strong pipeline of skilled arborists we see today.

“I have seen firsthand their passion, commitment and dedication to delivering high-quality training. Their focus on both technical excellence and industry readiness has had a lasting impact on countless students and the wider arboriculture sector.”

Wintec arboriculture coordinator, Fiona Taylor, explains that there are 13 students on the current level 4 arboriculture certificate course, all of whom (if not already employed in the industry part-time) can expect to be employed when they’ve completed their study next February.

“Typically, around a third will go to the bigger companies, like Treescape and Asplundh, the next third to smaller companies, and the remainder stay on to continue in our level 5 arb programme. Once they have worked in the New Zealand industry for a while, many go on to pursue overseas opportunities, as New Zealand arborists are highly regarded worldwide.”

Wintec arboriculture graduates are in demand, with companies seeking them out even before they graduate.

“Wintec is the only unit standard-based training deliverer of level 3 and 4 arboriculture full-time in the country and the only provider offering up to level 6.

“Most go into industry at level 4, then come back when thinking about their future or wanting to start their own business.

Says Fiona: “At level 5, ākonga can do a technical strand or supervisory strand, both part-time. The level 6 Diploma qualification is the highest qualification for arboriculture in New Zealand and in many regions is a requirement for councils employing city arborists.”

Rob, who is proud of his 50 years in the arboriculture industry (which includes 30 years at Wintec), adds that being an arborist is high risk, very physical, and well rewarded.

“It’s not for everybody, but such is the need for arboriculturists that we could easily turn out 100 grads to meet the demand.”

Dirt and built-up sawdust can quickly limit the effectiveness of a chainsaw; students learn to properly clean and maintain tools as part of  their learning.

Did you know?

Wintec holds the record for the most tree climbing champions in the world.

Says Fiona, “So far we've trained over 20 world champions.”

The International Tree Climbing Championships (known colloquially as the ‘Worlds’) were held last year in Christchurch. The current women’s champ trained at Wintec, as did the men’s champ, who is now living in Germany.

“The ‘Worlds’ are not just about climbing a tree but about showcasing the competitors’ skills as arborists, she says.”

Given our success, perhaps the championship should be renamed the ‘Wintec International Tree Climbing Championship’.