TRAINING & EDUCATION
Global exchanges
Caitlyn Poole and other Fonterra staff planting trees at Fonterra’s Brightwater site.
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rowing up on a dairy farm, Caitlyn Poole always knew she wanted to work in the agriculture industry. The 28-year-old holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and a Master of Science (Animal Science) from Massey University’s Manawatū campus. Throughout her studies she was awarded multiple scholarships, which took her to China and Brazil before she returned home and began working for Fonterra. “I was lucky enough to receive two DairyNZ scholarships during my studies. The support was amazing, especially from my master’s supervisor and mentor Dr John Roche,” Poole says. Massey, with its good reputation for all things agriculture, was a natural choice for Caitlyn, and three of her siblings had studied there. She’s now studying via distance toward a Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Management and is employed as an environmental manager based at Fonterra’s Te Awamutu site. She took a break from her studies last semester to focus on her management role, but is looking to pick it up again this year. “My team manages the Biological Wastewater Treatment System for the site and ensures our final discharge is within our resource consent limits before it is discharged to the environment,” she says. “Unlike many Fonterra sites, we don’t
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irrigate our treated wastewater. We have a major multimillion-dollar upgrade to our plant happening at the moment, so in a year our discharge will be even more pristine than it currently is – it’s an exciting time for us. “The upgrade will ensure we meet our new, tighter resource consent limits.” Poole manages the environmental
management system at the site, to ensure it meets international standards. “This involves identifying and reviewing environmental aspects and impacts and ensuring the implementation of suitable operational controls. I’m a member of the Te Awamutu site leadership team and drive sustainability improvements on site,” she says.
Caitlyn moved to Chengdu in China after completing her masters and interned for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the New Zealand Consulate for six months. She and partner Ben also studied Mandarin at Chengdu University during this time.
DAIRY FARMER
February 2022
