Carving careers in Stonemasonry

Michael Dacombe has been involved with stone in some way shape or form across three different continents, and on arrival in Central Otago he knew it was exactly what he needed to be doing to carve himself a career in the region.

Born in Invercargill, Michael started his schooling in the Chatham Islands, finishing in Auckland. He was involved in both the landscaping and building industries abroad, where he worked as a bricklayer alongside stonemasons in both the UK and the USA.

Upon returning to New Zealand, Michael decided that Stonemasonry had much to offer so signed up to study at Central campus. After graduating he worked for a local stonemasonry company before setting up his own stone business. He worked on a variety of projects around the region, and with the building boom spent many a day creating stone veneers on new builds. Now as lecturer on New Zealand’s only full-time stonemasonry course he can see the opportunities from all angles, “There are so many job opportunities in stonemasonry, whether it be working for yourself or someone else. With the building boom in NZ, there is a real skills shortage for qualified stonemasons, and to top it off it’s a great career to travel with.”