Conferences are finally back on the cards

Two ākonga studying winemaking and viticulture at NMIT were invited to attend the recent two-day technical conference, Beyond Vineyard Ecosystems: Growing for the future(external link).

Santiago Mendez-Gasca and Zac Howell are both second year students and enjoyed the experience, particularly the chance for attending an event in person again.

“It has been a long time since we could go in and experience these face-to-face events, so it was really nice to be amongst a lot of people again,” said Zac.

The conference, held at the newly opened Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, featured growers and scientists who spoke about practice changes and how to place research findings into an international context.

Another highlight was hearing from guest speakers from both Australia and the United Kingdom.

Zac works in the Marlborough area and was drawn to the flexible study options at NMIT. Since the region is known for its brilliant wines as well, he felt it was an opportunity he could not pass up.

“Being close to the action and engaged in Marlborough gives me those industry connections and job opportunities for the future,” he said.

TasmanCrop funded the student’s travel, accommodation and conference registration.