Hera Eruera: Certified Plumber at Auckland Plumbers Group on the job and lack of women in trades

Women are still underrepresented in the trades.

Despite employing more than 300,000 people, women only make up around 16% of those working in the construction sector.

Chair of construction firm Naylor Love, Jackie Lloyd is interested in seeing more women enter the industry and play a role in leading it as well.

Auckland Plumbers Group’s Hera Eruera is one of only fifteen certified female plumbers in New Zealand, and told Kerre Woodham that the sector’s still a bit of an old boys’ club.

When she first came across Auckland Plumbers Group, Director Andrew Durrans was one of the few people looking to take on a female apprentice.

“All the other companies that I had gone to, they were just not wanting to have a bar of it,” Eruera said .

The stigma of plumbing being a “dirty job” may also be keeping women away from the trade, and while some elements can be, that’s not all they deal with.

“It’s such a huge variety – you've got your hot water systems, you’ve got all your piping systems, guttering, spouting, roofing. We’ve also got gas fitting, draining.”

“It's just a huge variety and it’s not always a dirty job like what most people would think it is, and it’s quite enjoyable as well."

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