Thinking ahead
Enjoy practical work? Have an eye for detail or creative streak?
Discover monumental masonry as a trade - from shaping stone to creating personalised inscriptions, you can help make memorials that honour lives and hold meaning for families and communities.
Monumental masonry is more than working with stone. It brings together design, technical skills and hands-on work. Depending on your role, you could help plan a memorial, prepare lettering and artwork, shape and finish stone, or assist with installation and restoration.
Some roles focus on workshop skills; others involve design, customer care or supporting families as they choose a fitting tribute. It is an industry with room for different strengths.
Put your skills into something meaningful
There is satisfaction in seeing a piece of work take shape and knowing how much it will mean to the loved ones you are creating it for.
Every detail counts, from the finish of the stone to the accuracy of an inscription. If you take pride in doing a job well, enjoy solving practical problems and want to keep learning, monumental masonry is worth exploring. You can develop a craft while contributing to work made to endure.
You do not need to have your whole career mapped out to start a conversation. Whether you are leaving school, changing direction or bringing experience from another trade, consider what you could offer. Careful workmanship, reliability, empathy, teamwork, commitment to safe working practices and respect for others all matter.
Learn on the job and work towards a qualification
An apprenticeship offers a practical way to build your skills while working alongside experienced craftspeople. BCITO manages stonemasonry apprenticeships leading to the New Zealand Certificate in Stonemasonry (Level 4), with a Monumental Masonry strand.
You will receive on-job coaching from your employer and guidance from a BCITO training advisor as you develop skills in designing, creating, installing and restoring memorials. Training typically takes two to four years. To explore this pathway, talk with a monumental masonry business about apprenticeship opportunities and contact BCITO for current training details and entry guidance.
Take the first step
Curious about a future in monumental masonry?
We suggest you contact a NZMMMA registered monumental masonry business near you. Ask what the work involves, which skills they look for, and whether they offer work experience, entry-level roles or training opportunities. A conversation could help you discover where your interests fit, and what your next step might be.