On Friday night, Mr Hepp (23) was named one of the top 10 national competitors from a total of 315 entries across New Zealand.
The announcement was made in Wellington as part of the 2010 Building Apprentice of the Year finals.
"I was so stoked to make it into the top 10. The standard was pretty high. It felt really good winning the award. All my hard work paid off," Mr Hepp said.
This year the national finalists also completed a practical test, in addition to being interviewed by the judges.
Mr Hepp has been a carpentry apprentice with construction company Naylor Love for the past three years, Last month, he competed in the regional leg of the competition and was named the southern region's registered apprentice of the year.
Mr Hepp said the top 10 competitors were treated to a banquet as well being awarded the coveted national titles.
Mr Hepp said he was not unhappy about not making it into the top three.
"I'm just so happy to be considered one of the best in the country. It's a great step for my career," he said.
The young apprentice considers himself lucky to be working for Naylor Love and plans to stay with the company.
"I'm planning on stepping up my carpentry further and working to be the best I can be," he said.
Held in 10 regions throughout the country, the competition aims to find and reward outstanding carpentry apprentices and draw attention to the wide variety of career opportunities in the building and construction industry.
