The competition, which is staged annually by the Registered Master Builders, is sponsored by APL Window Solutions through its Altherm, First and Vantage brands.

Callum, aged 24, works for McMillan & Lockwood, and was one of 10 national finalists who were put through their paces with a final 'practical' — the test building of a children's playhouse at the Cloud in downtown Auckland. Callum's playhouse project, which was donated to Kelston Primary School, was the final stage of a selection process that began with regional competitions and included interviews and written submissions. Callum did his training through the BCITO.

Wade Puklowski, from Nelson (Coman Construction), and Ryan Tesselaar, from the Waikato (Foster Construction), were second and third in the competition.

Present at the gala awards gathering were representatives from the APL Window Solutions manufacturer network, Justin Clarke, of Design Windows Auckland (Altherm), Heidi Johnston, Windowmakers (First), and Paul Bayer, Vantage Windows North Shore (Vantage).

The national judges said Callum was a deserving winner, passionate, with an outstanding breadth of knowledge across the sector. "Callum is a strong all-rounder, achieving excellent results at every stage — the written submission, interview and practical challenge," they said.