Association Update - May 2025
It’s always great to see how busy the industry gets this time of year. As everyone is in the thick of it after the string of public holidays, busy submitting their awards entries, or simply working hard to pay the bills. I hope everyone is staying safe out there as we have seen some horrific weather across the country in the last few days.
May is an especially busy time for the NZSDA with the 1st of May marking New Zealand’s very first National Sign Making Day. We hope that by introducing this event and dedicating one day each year to share what sign making is all about, we can inspire students with an interest in creative work and encourage them to see sign making as a real and rewarding career path. We’d like to say a massive thank you to the many sign shops around the country who put their hands up and offered their time, their sign shop, and their expert knowledge to this cause. The event was a massive success with the participating sign shops creating hands on immersive experiences for the visiting students. We’ve had so much great feedback with many sign shops and high schools expressing their interest in making this an even bigger event next year!
We are looking forward to adding to this momentum by representing the industry at high school career expos throughout Auckland later this year. We’d love to see the sign industry represented at more of these events nationwide, however there is only so many places we can be at once. We encourage any sign or print shops interested in supporting the future of the industry, to get in touch with us. We are happy to do the admin, if you are willing to show up on the day and tell the youth all about this awesome and creative career.
The other reason this is such a busy time of year for us is the National Sign Conference and the Sign Display Awards of Excellence coming up in June! With conference registrations now closed, we are knee deep in planning and preparation, ensuring we can deliver the best possible event to celebration our 60th year. Our theme ‘Tradition Meets Tomorrow’, is reflected in many of the conference activities, including a keynote presentation on the use of AI in the industry, and a morning spent learning all about traditional sign painting. A nod to both the past and the future of this varied industry. We will also be celebrating the NZSDA’s 60th Birthday with an epic party on the Friday night of conference.
Awards entries have now closed, and the judging panel are undertaking their difficult task of choosing which entries will take out one of the coveted awards. Their feedback so far has been that this year’s entrants are on point and that they are loving the creative, and often humorous, descriptions accompanying many of the entries. They were also extremely impressed by the quality of work done by this year’s Apprentice of the Year applicants. Each of them a credit to their employers.
We are also excited to see more Master Sign Maker applications coming though, as May marks the second intake for the accreditation, and the final intake available for those wanting to receive their plaque at this year’s sign awards ceremony. We can’t wait to celebrate those incredible sign makers who have achieved this accreditation at the awards in Nelson!
That’s all from me!
Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa. Let us keep close together, not far apart.
Mikayla Hopkins
NZSDA
