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Conservation skills in high demand
Kūmānū Environmental have embarked on a mutually beneficial relationship with NMIT
Protecting our region’s unique biodiversity, planting and restoration, and ecological best practice depend on a well-trained conservation workforce.
Kūmānū Environmental, a division of NELMAC, plays an important role in ensuring that our natural environments are sustained, protected and healthy and safeguarding our whenua.
Kūmānū, meaning to tend carefully or to treasure, has several projects underway, including Project Mahitahi, where more than 60,000 natives have been planted in the last year.
Jude Rawcliffe, training advisor for Kūmānū Environmental, recently approached NMIT about entering into an industry training commitment.
“It’s been really beneficial,” says Jude. “The tutors at NMIT have been very open to hearing industry needs and there’s more opportunities lining up – we are just getting started.”
Jude says it’s great to have these conversations about future collaboration with Te Pūkenga.
“Kūmānū Environmental is not just about having the right skill sets, it’s about developing our staff as people and helping them get to where they want to be as an individual.”
The Conservation Field Skills Training Schemes are designed to be mutually beneficial with some conservation courses adapted to enable applied learning for students in the region.
For example, course CFS427 – Weed Management(external link) utilizes the Kūmānū Environmental GIS system and uses case studies of Kūmānū Environmental staff rather than older information from DOC.
Kūmānū Environmental are constantly seeking those trained in biodiversity and conservation to uphold their mission of safeguarding natural assets and delivering meaningful and achievable ecological diversity to the region.
“There’s oodles of work,” Jude says. “We are almost always recruiting and we offer student placements over the summer.”
By partnering with NMIT, Kūmānū Environmental ensures the students coming through with qualifications have relevant, applied knowledge and can hit the ground running.
