Subject to the provisions of this Act and any regulations made under this Act, the General Manager may from time to time appoint in accordance with subsection (2) of section 77 of this Act suitable persons to be probationary apprentices for the purpose of training them to become tradesmen.

On completion of such probationary period as may be prescribed, an indenture of apprenticeship may be entered into between the probationary apprentice and his parent or guardian on the one hand and an employee authorised by the General Manager to act as a master for the purposes of this Act on the other; and, on the execution of the indenture of apprenticeship, the probationary apprentice shall become an apprentice within the meaning of this Act.

Every indenture of apprenticeship shall be in such form as may be prescribed.

Every parent or guardian, who is a party to any indenture, shall be bound by its terms until the apprentice reaches the age of twenty-one years; and on his reaching that age the indenture shall cease to apply to the parent or guardian.

Subject to any agreement between all the parties to any indenture and to the provisions of this Act and any regulations made under this Act, every apprentice shall, whether he has reached the age of twenty-one years or not, be bound by the terms of the indenture during its currency which shall be such period as may be prescribed.

Nothing in the Apprentices Act 1948 shall apply to any apprentice while he is employed by the Department or to any indenture of apprenticeship entered into and in force under this section.

If at any time the Minister directs any apprentice to be dismissed pursuant to the proviso to subsection (2) of section 90 of this Act, the apprentice’s indenture shall thereupon be deemed to be discharged.

The General Manager and any apprentice may at any time agree to vary or discharge the apprentice’s indenture; but if the apprentice is under the age of twenty-one years the consent in writing of the parent or guardian who joined in the execution of the indenture shall be obtained before any such variation or discharge.

If any parent or guardian who is a party to the indenture of any apprentice dies before the apprentice reaches the age of twenty-one years, any consent required to be given by that parent or guardian for the purposes of this section or section 83c of this Act may be given by his legal personal representatives.

If the General Manager considers that the course of the apprentice’s training so requires, the apprentice may be transferred for such period and on such terms as the General Manager may determine or approve—

Notwithstanding anything in the Apprentices Act 1948 to the contrary, any apprentice within the meaning of that Act may be transferred to the Department for such period and on such terms as the General Manager may determine or approve. Any apprentice so transferred shall, during the period of transfer, be subject to the provisions of this Act and to any regulations made under this Act relating to apprentices.

Subject to the provisions of the Post Office Act 1959 or, as the case may be, the State Services Act 1962, any apprentice serving under an indenture of apprenticeship with the Post Office or any part of the Public Service may be transferred to the Department as an apprentice for the purposes of this Act for such period and on such terms as the General Manager may determine or approve. Any apprentice so transferred shall, during the period of transfer, be subject to the provisions of this Act and to any regulations made under this Act relating to apprentices.

No apprentice shall be transferred under this section without his consent if he is over the age of twenty-one years or, if he is under that age, without the consent of the parent or guardian who joined the apprentice in the execution of the apprentice’s indenture.

During any period of temporary transfer under subsection (1) or subsection (2) or subsection (3) of this section, the contract or indenture of apprenticeship under which the apprentice is serving shall, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this section or in section 83b of this Act, remain in full force, but if the transfer is permanent a new contract or indenture shall be executed.

There may, from time to time, be established by agreement in writing between the General Manager, the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, and the New Zealand Railway Tradesmen’s Association a committee to be known as the Railway Apprenticeship Advisory Committee.

Any such committee shall consist of such number of members as may be specified in the agreement, but shall be under the chairmanship of an officer of the Department appointed by the General Manager.

It shall be the function of any such committee—

Any such committee may regulate the procedure at its meetings in such manner as it thinks fit.

Subject to the provisions of this section, any such agreement may at any time be varied or cancelled with the concurrence of all the parties to it.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this subsection, the functions, powers, and duties of any such committee shall not extend to cover any matter for which express provision is made in this Act.”