Senator Boats: Goals, teamwork and a bit of magic
- Piers Menhinick
- Apr 1
- 4 min read
At Senator Boats, building world-class boats isn’t the only success story – a new training culture and commitment to development have become part of their everyday ethos. Recently, four out of Senator’s six apprentices graduated, reflecting the strength of the company’s renewed focus on training.
Managing Director Grant Simmonds admits the journey wasn’t always smooth. “A couple of years ago, we had no structured training programme – we were really struggling to gain traction. When we looked closely, we realised we didn’t have enough support in place for our apprentices.”
Foreman Scott Truman, the 'go-to' mentor for apprentices, also saw the need for change. With support from MAST Academy and senior team members, a plan was created, and Scott stepped into the newly established Workplace Trainer role.
The Plan
At first, the formula was simple – keep apprentices on track with their workload, quality and unit standards, all while staying true to the company values. Or, as Scott liked to say, "Be a good bugger."
While Scott was overseeing the plan, he knew he needed someone else to help drive it forward –someone who was already stepping up. That person was Jody, one of the six apprentices.
What happened next even surprised the leadership team. Goals were set, and Jody, as senior apprentice, set up study sessions. He also took on the extra task of checking all the paperwork before it reached Scott and the MAST Training Advisor.
"Hayden, Ethan and Mitchel – they were all close to finishing," Scott recalls. The study sessions with Jody gave them the final push. "Throw in a few pizzas, a bit of banter, and suddenly, it’s magic," he says. "But more than that, they started coming together as their own little crew, and instead of excuses, I’d hear, Hey bro, want to come down tonight? Let’s smash it out together.”
It wasn’t long before the benefits spilled onto the workshop floor. "Communication improved, confidence grew, and they pushed each other to hit new heights," says Scott.
For apprentice Ethan, the shift was transformative. “At the end, we all made a massive push,” he says. “I cranked through over 20 papers in about three and a half months. Honestly, if it wasn’t for Jody, it definitely wouldn’t have happened.”
Leadership noticed the difference, too. “Our teamwork and achievements through the Apprenticeship Programme have gone through the roof,” says Grant. “Working with MAST and putting mentors in place, we’ve seen a huge shift in the attitude and performance of all our apprentices, and we’re really proud of them.”
And rightly so. At graduation, the whole team traveled up to Auckland from Napier, excited to experience the city, check out the nightlife and visit the boat show, where Senator's boats were on display.
But there was one surprise they didn’t see coming – at the MAST graduation, Jody was awarded the Dale Carnegie Emerging Leader of the Year award, earning plenty of cheers from the team – a testament to his hard work, leadership and the way he’d stepped up for everyone.
Investing in people
At Senator, training doesn’t end here. Alongside an ongoing graduate training programme, they’ve also launched the Senator Improvement Programme to set consistent standards across the workshop floor. “It’s all about collaboration, sharing ideas, and working together to continuously improve quality,” says Rachael Simmonds, Marketing & Culture Manager. As part of the programme, each stage of the boat-building process will have reference guides, including photos and videos. “The staff are the experts, and their input is shaping the way we do things” she adds.
Senator is also focusing on a skills matrix to help employees develop across different areas of the business. “The product’s always improving, and there are lots of opportunities for people to get involved,” says Grant. “But you’ve got to have a process and get people engaged to create those opportunities.”
Grant sees workplace training, mentoring, and MAST’s partnership as key to Senator's training success. “If we create the right environment, set clear values together, and truly live by those values, we give ourselves a much greater chance of success – developing people who will thrive within our company.”
You can tell right away - this crew is tight. Sit down with them for five minutes and the jokes start flying. But between the laughs, it’s clear that during their apprenticeship, these four guys have built a bond. Here's a few fun facts that surfaced:
Jody – is a dad with five daughters (yes, five!). Originally from South Africa, he started in structural engineering but found himself dreaming of boats. “I’d see them on people’s lawns while driving on the motorway and say to my wife, One day, I want to work there and learn how to build those boats.” Fast-forward, and here he is – living the dream.
Mitch – When asked how he ended up at Senator Boats, he shrugged and said, “I just kind of woke up one day in the workshop.” Turns out, he came through his school's Gateway programme, worked over the holidays and never left.
Hayden – started as a light fabrication apprentice, but when his company went under, so did his apprenticeship. With two kids at home, he was determined to find another pathway and landed at Senator. He was especially stoked to make it to the boat show, because a boat he worked on was on display.
Ethan – helped restore a workshop boat that had been written off after launching itself off a trailer at 100km per hour. What looked like a pile of scrap metal turned into a full-on fun rebuild project. And, of course, they had to test it – by taking it fishing.