Brown said he felt “pretty honoured” about the selection.
“It still amazes me sometimes when I think about how I’ve been picked for this opportunity.”
Brown earned his place in the New Zealand team after winning the 2025 Wallie Askew Workskills Competition, the national refrigeration apprentice competition.
The win secured him an interview with WorldSkills New Zealand, where he was assessed on technical ability and his suitability to represent New Zealand internationally.
“It was quite an intense interview,” Brown said.
“One of the team described it as the Olympics for the trades, and that’s exactly what it feels like.”
He initially expected to attend university, but a Year 12 carpentry course and a brief careers networking session introduced Brown to refrigeration and air conditioning.
“I did enjoy getting my hands dirty from time to time.”
He completed work experience with McAlpine Hussmann’s Tauranga branch, then moved into an apprenticeship through Competenz.
“I thought it would just be my job, I didn’t think anything big would come from it.”
He said the plan was to get his apprenticeship, become a tradesman, “do the work”, and go home at the end of each day.
“It was just going to be the thing I did, hopefully enjoy, and it’d pay my bills,” Brown said.
“I never would have thought when I started my apprenticeship that I’d get the opportunity to travel around the world representing New Zealand.”
Today, Brown works on commercial refrigeration and air conditioning systems across installation, maintenance and fault-finding work.
“I’ve learned so many skills: electrical, plumbing, welding, mechanical work; it’s never the same job each day, it’s always something different.”
His interest in practical problem-solving started young, spending time with his father pulling apart and rebuilding fishing reels before later learning basic vehicle maintenance.
Brown moved into an apprenticeship through Competenz after completing work experience with McAlpine Hussmann’s Tauranga branch.
“I found it rewarding just doing simple things like oil changes on my car and stuff. I did enjoy getting my hands dirty from time to time for sure,” Brown said.
“At work, I quite enjoy the electrical fault finding. It’s like a puzzle.”
More than 1500 competitors from about 70 countries will compete across 60 skill categories at WorldSkills Shanghai in September.
Brown will tackle practical challenges testing his skills in refrigeration installation, commissioning, servicing and fault-finding.
He said he was “stoked” to be competing and encouraged others considering a career in the trades to “go with your gut”.
“For me, it all flowed so easily. It felt right and I never looked back,” Brown said.
“If I had to choose again, I would always choose what I do.”
WorldSkills New Zealand general manager Carl Rankin said the competition tested far more than technical ability.
“Competitors develop resilience, professionalism and the ability to perform under pressure, and Campbell demonstrates all of those qualities.”
Rankin said Brown’s success was no accident.
“You’ve got a young person with a great attitude and a willingness to learn, a training provider that’s giving them every opportunity, and an employer that’s committed to supporting them through on-job training and everything else they need,” Rankin said.
“When those three things come together, you get a great outcome.”
Kaitlyn Morrell is a journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.