Hawke's Bay Regional Council is providing a once-in-a-lifetime experience for US students studying agriculture and the environment.
Six American students participating in the Massey University Agriculture and Environment National Expedition and Internship began their internships at Hawke's Bay Regional Council on June 12. The other 21 students in the Massey University programme have been placed at wineries, fruit companies, Fish & Game, DoC, and other businesses in the Hawke's Bay region.
The students arrived in Queenstown on May 29 to begin a two-week expedition through both islands to learn about agriculture and environment. They visited farms, wineries, research and conservation centres, and various other sites. The students then arrived in Hawke's Bay on June 10 to begin their four-week internships.
The six interns at HBRC are involved with interesting and diverse projects. Sam Shimota, Christian Hernandez, Deanna Hellinger, and Alyssa Navarrete are with the water quality and ecology team. Their projects include working with fish barriers and riparian plantings.
"I'm excited about getting real world experience about how an environmentally-friendly organisation can work with the resources that they have to be more sustainable. The process of doing this internship confirms that this is what I want to do for my career," said Christian, an environmental science major with a concentration on ecological restoration from Humboldt University in California.
The two other interns, Janiece Pigg and Hannah Fisher, are working on various communications projects with the land management and communications teams. Janiece and Hannah have already worked with Enviroschools and science briefs. Their next projects include media for winter cropping, infographics, farmer highlights, and reviewing websites.
The students are hoping to bring back knowledge and perspective back to the US.
"I think being in a different country proposes different issues which we in the US haven't thought about. I think in New Zealand issues are more prominent because of its size. This experience will help me bring a new perspective back home and to my university", said Janiece Pigg, an agriculture education leadership communication major at Mississippi State University.
The interns will finish on July 5 and there will be a presentation of their work on July 7 before they head home or continue their adventures across New Zealand.
HB Regional council hosts US students
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