Zinfra’s female apprentice scales new heights across Australia

A former deep-sea fisher who climbs 60m towers is transforming Australia’s energy sector as Zinfra’s pioneering female transmission line apprentice working in Teebar Creek.

24-year-old Morgan Paaris is a first-year transmission lines worker apprentice currently working on a project in Teebar Creek in QLD.

From deep-sea fishing off the coast of her hometown in Christchurch, New Zealand, to climbing 60m towers across regional Australia, Morgan Parris is not your average female first-year apprentice.

With 23 per cent of Zinfra’s apprentice intake for 2025 female, Morgan has set her sights on becoming part of a small emerging cohort of women in Australia to become one of the first female transmission line workers and be an impactful and empathetic construction leader in the transmission industry.

She is one of two women learning the transmission trade with Zinfra - a national engineering, construction and maintenance service provider.

24-year-old Morgan Parris is a first-year transmission lines worker apprentice currently working on a project in Teebar Creek in QLD.

“I didn’t take the usual path to get here,” she said in a statement released by Zinfra.

“I went fishing at 18, worked in mining, became a rigger, and then stumbled into transmission. But I knew if I wanted to earn respect in this industry, I had to go back to basics and learn the technical side properly. That’s what led me to Zinfra,” she said.

Morgan spends her days working across Queensland and NSW, climbing towers, replacing insulators, working on conductors, building poles, transferring conductors from towers to poles, and taking spacers on or off while scaling down the line on a go-kart.

24-year-old Morgan Parris is a first-year transmission lines worker apprentice currently working on a project in Teebar Creek in QLD.

She has previously worked on major projects such as the Waratah Super Battery located in Goulburn, NSW and is currently working on the Fraser Coast Solar Park Facility Connection project in Teebar Creek, south west of Maryborough.

“I’ve had to prove myself more than once. I used to think that if someone offered to help, it meant they didn’t think I could do it,” she said.

“Now I see it differently, it’s about teamwork and trust. I’ve learned that resilience isn’t just about pushing through, it’s about knowing when to listen, adapt and grow.”

Morgan’s background, from long stints offshore to high-stress shutdowns, taught her how to work hard and stay calm under pressure.

24-year-old Morgan Parris is a first-year transmission lines worker apprentice currently working on a project in Teebar Creek in QLD.

The Zinfra statement said there had “been a continuous growth in female representation at Zinfra, with a 26% increase in female apprentices since 2020”.

“The company is also focusing on expanding Zinfra’s female representation at the people leader level from 13 per cent to 28 per cent by 2030.

“Morgan wants her story to show other women thinking about an energy career that they can thrive in the sector, knowing their success has nothing to do with gender,” Zinfra said.

“It’s all about your attitude towards learning, resilience and curiosity, that’s what drives careers in energy.”

Originally published as Zinfra’s female apprentice scales new heights across Australia