Five of New Zealand’s emerging print talents have been named by PrintNZ as finalists in the 2026 BJ Ball Print Apprentice of the Year, all of whom have been recognised for their technical growth, resilience and commitment to the industry.
The top 5 print apprentices are:
- Dry Offset Printing: Rebecca Tipene of Visy Rigid Packaging, Auckland
- Label Printing: Travers Dobson of Leading Label Company, Christchurch
- Packaging: Kai Devereux of Pakworld Christchurch
- Reelfed Printing: Kapareira Hannon of Accolade Packaging, Auckland
- Sheetfed Printing: Don Moonjely of Opal Packaging, Christchurch
Rebecca Tipene:
“I’m so honoured and humbled to be among other great printers around New Zealand,” said Tipene. “Definitely a huge gratitude to team members and management for this opportunity – for offering me the apprenticeship.”
“I also want to thank my training advisor Grant Alsop for his encouragement, support and for pushing me. I’m grateful that I passed and I can give back. I am currently doing an apprenticeship in mechanical engineering, which will lead me into other opportunities within the company.”
Travers Dobson:
“The Top 5 accolade further validates that I’ve found my place. The best part of the apprenticeship was having a clear goal to work towards – it gives you a big incentive to keep learning,” said Dobson.
“The biggest challenge was definitely the juggle of it all. My wife and I have two young children – aged three and one – so finding the time to sit down and complete the bookwork after work and home life was a challenge.
“My advisor, Steven Jack, was incredibly supportive of my situation. He helped me set up small goals, focusing on one unit at a time rather than feeling overwhelmed by seeing all of the work ahead.”
Kai Devereux:
“I’m just here to do my job. I started off as a helping hand doing the odd jobs, but as I progressed I’ve got to learn new things which have often been quite hard,” said Devereux.
“I do quite a complex job now and there are aspects that I had no knowledge of previously, so I had to rewire my brain.
“There have definitely been some challenges. Everyone has a main role here, but there are other jobs you can help out with if need be. Everyone here has a good mentality of helping everyone out.”
Kapareira Hannon:
“Extremely grateful to a number of people who introduced and helped shape my view of the print industry,” said Hannon. “My apprenticeship gave me a foundation to stand on which opens up a world of opportunities in the industry.”
“I really enjoyed learning the fundamentals of print but also how to apply it practically and to a high standard I could be proud of.
“The most rewarding aspect about my work is being a part of a process that takes conceptual art and turns it into a physical product that you can touch, feel and appreciate. I have always enjoyed being a part of something creative and being a key part of that production process is very rewarding.”
Don Moonjely:
“Top 5 recognition is definitely a boost to my confidence – pushing me to work even harder and keep my edge,” said Moonjely.
“During my apprenticeship, I truly enjoyed the opportunity to acquire new skills and apply what I was learning in practical, real-world situations. I especially valued the hands-on experience and the chance to work alongside experienced professionals.
“One of the most challenging aspects was managing my time effectively, especially since I set a goal to complete the apprenticeship in half the expected duration. This pushed me to stay highly organised and focused – overcoming this challenge not only helped me finish on time but also contributed significantly to my personal and professional growth.”
The annual BJ Ball Print Apprentice of the Year will be presented on stage at the Pride In Print Awards, being hosted at Christchurch’s Te Pae Convention Centre on 26 June 2026.