Binding the future: Wellington bookbinder trains the next generation

When Tiffany Tucker answered a Student Job Search ad for a short-term role at Bookbinding Etc on Cuba Street, she didn’t realise it would lead to an apprenticeship in the specialist trade of hand bookbinding - a craft few young people know exists, and even fewer consider as a career.

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Originally from Levin, Tiffany moved to Wellington to study fine arts. Now 28, she’s six years into a career she never saw coming.

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The holiday job exposed her to the tools, materials and quiet precision of a working bindery - where pages are stitched by hand, boards are wrapped and pressed, and titles are stamped in gold foil - and she was hooked.

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When Christmas ended, she reached out to owner Andrew Rotherham to ask if there was more work going.

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“I didn’t know a job like this existed,” she says. “Once I’d seen it up close, I didn’t want to walk away.”

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Six years on, she is a second-year apprentice working towards the New Zealand Certificate in Printing (Complex) (Level 4) through industry training organisation Competenz - specialising in hand bookbinding - the traditional end of a qualification that can also cover broader print finishing.

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Her pathway into the trade brings together her love of art, history and hands-on work.

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Tiffany completed her Bachelor’s degree and, through COVID, continued on to finish her Master’s.

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“I have two fancy bits of paper that are very expensive,” she laughs. “This time, though, I’m earning while I’m learning.”

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At the heart of that shift is the work itself: repairing and restoring books that matter to people.

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Tiffany says it’s not about making everything look brand new, but about ensuring books remain functional and can be passed on to the next generation.

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It’s that steady, hands-on approach that has kept the Cuba Street bindery going for decades.

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Andrew began his own apprenticeship in Levin in 1982 and has worked across the print and binding sector for most of his career. Bookbinding Etc has operated for almost five decades from its CBD premises.

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“My apprenticeship was very block-course heavy,” Andrew says. “I’d go up to Auckland for weeks at a time and sit exams. Tiffany’s learning is much more integrated - it’s on the job, unit by unit, and assessed in the workplace. It’s just a different structure.

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“You still learn by doing. That hasn’t changed, but the way it’s delivered has.”

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Andrew didn’t hire Tiffany with succession in mind - but he now sees the opportunity ahead.

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“My hopes are that Tiffany finishes her trade and starts taking on more of the business side so I can pull back a bit,” he says. “I’d come in and help her instead of her working for me.”

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He also sees the value in her arts background.

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“With her previous arts degree, Tiffany’s great at colour matching, and she’s creative,” he says. “It’s not a requirement to have previously studied before an apprenticeship, but in Tiffany’s case she arrived with skills that enhance her understanding of the trade.”

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The industry has shifted over the decades. The move away from hard-copy university theses reduced one stream of work, while digital printing has opened others. Short-run and self-published books can now be produced more easily, creating demand for high-quality finishing and binding.

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The business has diversified into menus, presentation boxes, certificate holders and custom pieces, all drawing on the same core skills.

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Looking ahead, Tiffany sees conservation and repair continuing to grow, even as the wider book industry grapples with mass offshore production.

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“I’m concerned about the fast fashion of the book industry,” she says. “My answer is local craft, local capability, and keeping the skills alive.”

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Competenz Specialty Trades Manager Kevin Withell says it is encouraging to see apprentices like Tiffany entering specialist areas of the print finishing and binding trades.

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“We’re delighted to be supporting Tiffany through her apprenticeship in such a traditional business,” he says. “The quality of the work she’s producing and her obvious enthusiasm for the craft make the process very rewarding for everyone involved, especially for Tiffany’s Competenz Training Advisor, Malcolm Pearce.

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“It’s also great to see someone with a background in the arts finding a career that makes use of those creative skills. Across the print and signmaking industries, we’re constantly working to raise awareness of these creative trades, as many young people simply don’t realise these trades exist.”

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Tiffany says the print finishing and binding trade might resonate with students who love books, art and working with their hands.

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“There are roles you don’t get told about,” she says. “For library kids like me, bookbinding could be your future.”

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