SIT offers a Bachelor of Environmental Management and a Graduate Diploma in Environmental Management.
The advisory board helps her team stay current and aware of the latest industry changes and trends.
“It’s so valuable, because as academics we’re mostly in the classroom,” Christine says.
The summer internships are hugely beneficial to students and the reputation of the school, she says.
“We’re really honoured to have that partnership.”
SIT students compete with the brightest minds in the country studying the same area and more than hold their own, Christine says.
It’s crucial to have regional council staff reinforcing material taught in the classroom.
She says Environment Southland is also extremly supportive with resources and staff time, and the connections also create fantastic networking opportunities.
A great example of this was when two Bachelor of Environmental Management Year 3 students, Brennan Mair and Xinxin Zhang, were selected to present at the ‘Weathering the Storm’ conference in Invercargill in December 2019. This highlighted the quality research taking place locally at undergraduate level, in SIT’s Bachelor of Environmental Management programme.
“It was great they had the backing of Environment Southland for that conference and for showcasing their work,” Christine says.
School of Environmental Management Distance learning facilitator Dr Tapuwa Marapara (who has also spent time at Environment Southland) supervised Brennan’s research, which involved building a water sampling device that can be attached to a drone for use in freshwater locations where extracting the water sample is difficult.
Tapuwa says the connections between the two organisations help ensure students are prepared for what’s needed in the industry.
“Creation of farm environment plans is an example of an area of study that is integrated into the course, as they are becoming more and more important as a tool to assist with farm operation.”
It’s great to have people from the regional council available to assist students, he says.
“They are great role models and give the students a first-hand perspective on what’s needed at each level. We do have quite a few students who’ve gone on to full employment with Environment Southland.”
Environment Southland acting consents manager Bruce Halligan says it’s a real asset having an environmental management school based in Southland as it’s a good fit for the work the regional council and other environment-focused organisations undertake.
“The course is tailored towards the local job market, meaning people are coming through and getting into jobs and staying local, spending money, and buying houses.”
That’s a real win-win for Southland as retaining people after studying is one of the major goals of attracting students south for tertiary education, he says.
“It’s a really positive story.”
One of the course graduates who now works at Environment Southland is Sol Kim. He is a consents officer.
“I have to be familiar with a wide range of topics to ensure that I can competently assess a broad range of applications from various industries,” he says.
His studies at SIT provided a strong foundation for further learning, he says.
“Also, a lot of the staff here are SIT graduates so I was able to easily form links on a personal, social front.”
You can read the full Envirosouth magazine as a PDF online here.
