Tool Black is WorldSkills Chief Expert

New Zealand is one of the few WorldSkills member countries to have a WorldSkills Chief Expert in its team. John Tuau is the Chief Expert for the “Auto Refinishing” skill category at the biennial WorldSkills competition and plays a vital role in the development of this skill on the world level.
Having attended the WorldSkills Competition as New Zealand’s international judge for “Auto Refinishing” since 1999, John was nominated as Deputy Chief Expert for the Helsinki Competition in 2005. He was then promoted to Chief Expert after his colleague withdrew. John did an amazing job of planning, organising and overseeing the competition and was voted by his peers to be Chief Expert for the 2007 WorldSkills Competition in Japan. John also trained the 2005 silver medal winner in ‘Auto Refinishing’, Ben McNaught from Warkworth, who equaled New Zealand’s best  performance.
John revels in his current role as “Auto Refinishing” tutor at Wintec, where he is able to work with young people right from the beginnings of their interest in this trade. He has been involved with WorldSkills New Zealand, previously known as SkillEX, as a National Skills Expert and Regional Coordinator for the past 12 years and is hooked on the concept, commenting, “I enjoy how the competitions cater for all facets of the trade, and that the organisation is improving the standards of the new generation of skilled workers.”
As Chief Expert, John plays a crucial role of manager of planning and overseeing all the experts’ work during the WorldSkills competition; he also makes the careful selection, revision and translation of test projects that are given out to each country, three months prior to the competition for the competitors to practice on. A Chief Expert ensures that all the necessary machines, tools and materials are available for each competitor and that all Health & Safely compliances are met. Amongst all this, John will be monitoring the progress of the New Zealand “Auto Refinishing” competitor, Johnny Simpson and providing support and tips during their daily meetings.
John is dedicated to his trade and the development of skill levels, he sees his participation in the WorldSkills Competitions as an opportunity to enhance the NZ Auto refinishing trade and comments, “I want to further enhance a training platform for future international competitors, and develop a national training schedule which incorporates new trends and developments I learn about while working with the other international judges.”
John is really looking forward to the challenge of the 2007 WorldSkills Competition in Japan and would like to thank industry leaders such as PPG, MITO and the CRA, for their continuing support.  With an intensive training programme in place he is working hard with his competitor, Johnny Simpson, to give Johnny the best chance of a medal in Japan and to show that the New Zealand Auto Refinishing industry continues to produce world class talent. n
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