The Annual Connection returns to Pukekohe Showgrounds on 20-22 October 2026, a three-day Connexis gathering where line mechanics, cable jointers and electrical apprentices compete in skills competitions alongside a supplier expo and the Connexis Excellence Awards, hosted for 2026 in partnership with Counties Energy.
The Annual Connection is a three-day industry gathering that puts New Zealand's electricity-supply trades workforce centre stage, combining live skills competitions, a supplier expo and an awards dinner. For 2026 it runs 20-22 October at the Pukekohe Showgrounds, 58 Station Road, in Pukekohe, south of Auckland.
The event is organised by Connexis, the infrastructure-trades training organisation (a division of Te Pūkenga), and is hosted for 2026 in partnership with Counties Energy. Despite the way this listing was tagged, the official event site attributes the event to Connexis, and shows no involvement from Electricity Networks Aotearoa (ENA); ENA is the industry body representing New Zealand's electricity distribution businesses (lines companies), but it is not the organiser of the Annual Connection.
The programme is built around competition and recognition for the electricity supply and infrastructure trades: Line Mechanic and Cable Jointer competitions, the Supply Industry Electrical Apprentice Competition, a Supplier Expo showcasing new technology, school sessions for career exploration, and the Connexis Excellence Awards Dinner with the Energy Trainee Awards. It draws apprentices, trainees, competitors, employers and equipment suppliers from across the sector, under the recurring 'Electrifying New Zealand' theme tied to the renewable-energy transition and workforce growth.
The Pukekohe Showgrounds provides open competition space and expo capacity suited to the hands-on, equipment-heavy format. Pukekohe sits in Auckland's southern Franklin area, roughly an hour south of the Auckland CBD and served by the rail line to central Auckland; delegates typically draw on local Franklin and wider south-Auckland accommodation, with the venue's grounds and parking accommodating the trade vehicles and gear the competitions require. This is neutral logistics context only.
The Annual Connection is a distinctive vertical event that anchors a national industry to a regional Auckland venue rather than a main-centre convention centre, demonstrating how sector-specific competitions, expos and gala awards can be delivered on showground infrastructure and channel multi-day delegate and exhibitor activity into the Franklin/south-Auckland economy.
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