A 24-year-old Tauranga woman was one of five young New Zealand students to land a spot as a Sir Peter Blake Trust ambassador, and will spend summer working with leading NIWA scientests.
Fenna Beets gained a place as one of two ocean ambassadors and will be joining RV Tangaroa, New Zealand's only deep-water research vessel, to survey fisheries, biodiversity and seabed geology.
The programme has been run by the Sir Peter Blake Trust in partnership with NIWA, Antarctica New Zealand, the Antarctic Heritage Trust and the Department of Conservation.
NIWA Chief Executive John Morgan said NIWA and the Sir Peter Blake Trust had had a strong relationship for a number of years and were delighted to be part of the ambassador programme.
"These smart, passionate young people are our nation's future, and we at NIWA are delighted to give them the opportunity to work in a wide range of the nationally and globally important environmental research NIWA is engaged in.
"We believe these experiences offer young people an invaluable insight into the exciting and varied opportunities and rewards offered by a career in science," Mr Morgan said.
Shelley Campbell, CEO of the Sir Peter Blake Trust said the programme is unique.
"The Blake Ambassadors are all outstanding young people. It's the quality of the programme, the participants and our partnerships that make it so successful," Ms Campbell said.
