Wintec farewells a lasting influencer
Wintec Honorary Fellow Clint Baddeley in 2016 at Wintec graduation with former Wintec Dean, Gaye Barton and former Council Chair, Mary Cave-Palmer.
Clint Baddeley will always be remembered as having a lasting impact in shaping the way forward at Wintec.
Clint was a beloved member of the Wintec whānau and sadly passed away this week, after a long battle with cancer.
Wintec Chief Executive David Christiansen says Baddeley, a former Wintec Council member and Honorary Fellow, was incredibly influential during his time at Wintec.
“Clint has contributed not just to the Wintec community, its students, its staff and its industry partners, but to many in the wider Waikato community over the years. He was a great, kind person.
He has represented thousands of people in trades and manufacturing industries across New Zealand and worked to provide opportunities to people from all walks of life who wanted to acquire skills to pursue their careers.”
"Clint had an unwavering passion to help develop Wintec’s campuses into the training facilities they are today, because he believed so strongly in creating the best environments possible for people to gain skills for their careers.”
“Clint brought his love of the trades and a passion for technical training to the Wintec governance table for 18 years, with 10 of those years as Deputy Chair and chair of Wintec’s Building and Assets Committee. He played a key role in Wintec’s $90m campus modernisation programme, which resulted in the development of dynamic learning environments and facilities at Wintec,” says Christiansen.
The $25m Wintec Engineering and Trades facility at Rotokauri campus which opened in 2015 is a highlight of Baddeley’s time on the Wintec Council and he was also pivotal in the development of Wintec House, the Rotokauri and City campus student hubs, the Wintec multi-storey carpark building and Te Kōpū Mānia o Kirikiriroa marae.
A fitter and welder by trade, he worked in the gas and freezing industries in Hamilton and in the cement industry in his hometown of Raglan for many years before embarking on a long career as industrial relations advocate for the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU). In 1998 he was appointed to the Wintec Council by the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions.
Baddeley retired from the Wintec Council in May 2015 as one of Wintec’s longest-serving Council members. He was also the Council representative on the Student Residence Trust Board for a number of years from 1999 until 2006 and represented Wintec as a board member for WorldSkills New Zealand.
Baddeley was recognised with an honorary fellowship from Wintec in 2015, in recognition of his significant contribution to the New Zealand manufacturing industry, to Wintec and to local community organisations. At the time he said he was “truly humbled”.
“My career was never planned, but it’s been rewarding. Advocating for working people for so many years has been a highlight. Likewise, being part of the governance team at Wintec during a time of great change was very fulfilling.”
As well as his governance role at Wintec and 12-year involvement at Waikato District Council as Raglan Ward Councillor, Deputy Mayor and Chair of Strategy and Finance, Baddeley served as chair of Waikato’s largest philanthropic trust, Trust Waikato and as a board member for Community Waikato.
He was also active in many volunteer roles within his Raglan community and was a regular DJ on Raglan Community Radio.
In June 2020, Baddeley was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to local government and the community.
Baddeley is survived by his wife, Jackie and two adult children, Jamie and Sarah, and their families.
Nō reira takoto rangimārie
E te rangatira i tō moengaroa
Hoki atu ki ngō mātua ki ngō tūpuna
Moe mai i roto i te Ariki.
Rest in peace Clint.
