YOUNG ACHIEVERS

Learners keeping up with industry demand

THE SUITE OF NEW ZEALAND FORESTRY

qualifications spanning across forest harvesting and silviculture operations has been updated and was officially launched towards the end of 2021, says Competenz. This comes as part of the NZQAmandated five-yearly qualification review.

Coverage of some new operations has been introduced to keep pace with technology and changes in the industry and ensure updates to health, safety, and environmental regulations are followed.

This includes programmes for the operation of mobile cable yarders, mechanised thinning, and mechanised land preparation machines. Updates have also been made to ensure health and safety, and environmental regulations are followed.

Forestry Account Manager, Ross Marshall, says the review and update of the qualifications was very important; as technology continues to evolve, so do we.

“With new qualifications to keep up with the advancements within our industry, we’re able to match the demand for production and, most importantly, safety.”

The suite takes a focused and robust approach, with each of the qualifications made up of core units that cover foundation skills. This knowledge is built on as learners progress through the programmes and diversify into specialised strands.

Most of the task-based learning that previously existed remains the same, but the programmes have been enhanced with the introduction of some of the more mechanised operations.

“New qualifications will allow our learners to keep up with industry demand. They will be trained for tasks safely and to a high standard. Our industry is growing, and so is our knowledge to make working in forestry easier and safer,” says Mr Marshall.

As always, the qualifications are open to anyone employed in the industry. All Competenz resources, learning support materials, and assessment guides have been updated to facilitate a seamless rollout and ensure learners and employers get the most out of these refreshed qualifications.

SNIWC scholarship winner

THE SOUTHERN NORTH ISLAND WOOD

Council’s (SNIWC) scholarship winner, Sophie Cusack, has been awarded $8000 towards her Bachelor of Forestry Science at New Zealand School of Forestry, starting this year. A former student of Wairarapa College, her family have a long history of working in forestry, so we’ll be seeing her out in the bush before long!

Forest 360’s Blake Jones (Chair of the SNIWC Board) presents Sophie Cusack with her swag and scholarship.

Young Kiwis take on forestry

MORE YOUNG NEW ZEALANDERS ARE MAKING FORESTRY AND wood processing their future with seven more talented applicants joining the Ngā Karahipi Uru Rākau – Forestry Scholarship programme.

“It is fantastic to keep seeing young people embarking on their forestry career. The growth in the sector means more opportunities for highly skilled people due to research, innovation and increased mechanisation,” says Debbie Ward, Director, Business and Spatial Intelligence, Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service.

“The scholarship programme offers students a pathway to higherlevel study, where they gain the skills, expertise and capabilities which the forestry and wood processing sector needs now and into the future.”

The successful scholarship recipients for the 2022 academic year are: Paula Tucker Camano from Hamilton, Phoebe Naske from Gisborne (featured right), Stephen Thompson from Rotorua, Emma Plomp from Invercargill, Joe Falloon from Masterton, Tyler Rowe from Wellington, and Whanarua Edmonds from Pukehina.

The scholarship programme, now in its fourth year, aims to grow the capability of the forestry and wood processing workforce and encourage greater diversity in the industry.

To date, 23 students throughout New Zealand have received scholarships since 2018, with the first students expected to complete their qualifications at the end of next year.

In addition to the existing Bachelor of Forestry Science and Bachelor of Forest Engineering degrees offered through the University of Canterbury, Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service is funding three new scholarships this year for the Diploma in Forest Management at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology in the Bay of Plenty starting 2022.

“We are proud to be partnering with Toi Ohomai to offer these new scholarships which offer another pathway to a career and opportunities in forestry,” says Ms Ward.

“The diploma course covers a range of topics to prepare students

More young New Zealanders are making forestry and wood processing their future.

for roles, including business planning, forest health and management, supply chain and harvesting, and operations management.

“We want to ensure our young New Zealanders see forestry as a sustainable and exciting career option, while adding to the skills and capability of our evolving workforce.”

The scholarships offer up to $8000 a year for four years as well as paid summer internships.

All in the family

A GISBORNE STUDENT HAS WON A FOUR-YEAR, NZ$32,000

scholarship to pursue her dream of becoming the first female forester in her family. “I have always been passionate about the environment but you don’t see a lot of female participation in this industry. That’s why I want to make a mark,” says former Gisborne Girls’ High School student, Phoebe Naske.

Like her father, she is pursuing a Bachelor of Forestry Science at the University of Canterbury. Her dad loved the idea of Phoebe doing the course and getting a “hands-on” understanding of the industry just like he and Phoebe’s uncle did. “He keeps telling me stories about the field trips during his time at university,” she says.

Phoebe’s parents were advocates for experiencing what the outdoors has to offer, and she has fond memories of hiking with her dad. She was also lucky enough to go on an Outward Bound experience in Anakiwa last year. “That’s probably where my interest in forestry comes from,” she says.

Phoebe says she learned about the scholarship through an online course organised by GirlBoss — an initiative that creates programmes for a network of high schoolers. “My mum shared the Facebook link to the course with me and I took up the programme relating to the primary industry,” she explains. After the course she was given the opportunity to speak with mentors from the agriculture and forestry industries.

“That’s how I got to know about the scholarship,” says Phoebe. The scholarship programme, now in its fourth year, aims to increase the number of those that identify as female or of Māori descent, encouraging greater diversity in the industry.

She is hopeful that becoming a forester will encourage her younger sister to pursue a career which lacks a female presence. “It is important to see other women and people of Māori descent joining this industry to have more inclusivity,” she says. Source: Gisborne Herald. Phoebe Naske.

Whanganui Collegiate School student Jessica Johnstone with her award-winning dining chair.

Working with wood

STUDENTS FROM WHANGANUI COLLEGIATE

School took out four of the six top awards in the Secondary Schools Creative Woodskills Competition run by Middle Districts Farm Forestry Association and UCOL Institute of Technology & Polytechnic at the end of last year.

Benjamin Poulton and Lucas Bishop claimed first and third place respectively in the junior category, while Jessica Johnstone and Sophie Michelson took out first and third in the senior category.

Meanwhile Feilding High School’s Zac Brunton took out second in the junior category and Belle Longuet-Higgins of Longburn Adventist College was the runner up in the juniors.

The awards were presented at a prizegiving event at Square Edge Creative Centre in Palmerston North, with Powertool Centre providing prizes.

Running for over a decade now, this year’s competition saw the most entries yet – 26 entries from Whanganui Collegiate School, Feilding High School, Longburn Adventist College, and Awatapu College.

Students entered projects they created in their woodwork classes throughout the year.

The judges panel consisted of UCOL lecturers Andy Halewood and Richard Morris, and Open Polytechnic’s Marius Dryfhout. They assessed the entries based on the difficulty of the design, visual impact, finish, machining/sanding, and joinery.

Senior category winner, Jessica Johnstone, says she felt amazed to win and was happy that people liked her winning dining chair after she spent a year working on it.

She was introduced to woodwork as a compulsory subject in Year 9 and has continued with it since. She is weighing up further training and a career involving woodwork.

“I love woodwork. It’s my passion. I don’t know what I’d do without it,” she says.

Competition organiser and UCOL furniture lecturer, Rowan Dicks, says the high quality finish on a lot of projects really stood out this year.

“The entrants really upped their game on the finish. One of our judges, Andy Halewood, stresses the importance of finish each year and he was really impressed with what the entrants produced this time around.”

Mr Dicks says the competition is a good way for UCOL to connect with young woodworkers and inform them about the institute’s Diploma in Fine Furniture programme. Each year at least a couple of competitors go on to do the UCOL programme, he says.

UCOL is a part of Te Púúkenga. Te Pūkenga was established to better meet the needs of learners and employers by bringing together on-job, on-campus and online learning across New Zealand. By 1 January 2023, Te Pūkenga will create a unified, sustainable public network of regionally accessible vocational and applied learning.

Focus on rivers and tributaries

WINNING WAIKATO REGIONAL COUNCIL’S

Roger Harris (Waihou Valley) Scholarship allowed forestry student, Liam Gilroy, to focus on his research investigating the turbidity levels of rivers and tributaries.

Liam, who has just achieved his Bachelor of Forest Engineering with honours from Canterbury University, was awarded the Roger Harris Scholarship late last year.

The former Morrinsville College student says he is grateful for the $6000 scholarship, as it enabled him to stop working part-time in the last term so he could focus on his dissertation to “achieve a greater outcome”.

For his dissertation, Liam used satellite imagery to remotely monitor turbidity levels in rivers and tributaries, something that had only been previously done for larger bodies of water.

Waihou Piako Flood Protection Advisory Subcommittee Chair, Stu Husband, says Liam was chosen as 2021’s scholarship recipient because of his studies in river and catchment management: “In his 2020 year, Liam was a summer student with the council’s Asset and Land Licencing Team, completing inspections of our leased land and stopbanks.”

The Roger Harris (Waihou Valley) Scholarship was established in 1995 to mark the substantial completion of the Waihou Valley flood protection scheme and particularly to acknowledge the contribution of the late Roger Harris to the successful implementation of that major project.

The scholarship is available to students undertaking post-secondary study in the fields of civil engineering or resource management, with particular focus on river and catchment management.

Students whose families are resident in the Waihou Valley Scheme rating classification area are eligible to apply for the scholarship.

Wintec is delivering arboriculture training to upskill arborists at Treescape in Auckland. Photo: Treescape.

The fruits of collaboration

AUCKLAND MAY BE A CITY OF MANY TREES AND OPPORTUNITY, but highly trained tree-care professionals are thin on the ground. Treescape, a leading New Zealand green asset management company is struggling to find certified arborists.

The answer, says Treescape Training Coordinator, Ben Worth was to reach out to Wintec, New Zealand’s leading training provider in arboriculture, and form a collaborative partnership to upskill current and future staff.

“There is huge demand in Auckland for arborists and limited access to training. By creating an ‘earn while you learn’ training opportunity with Wintec, we can employ and train arborists on the job,” Mr Worth says.

“This means they are able to move into the field and get involved with the more technical parts of the job faster, which helps keep them engaged in the journey and enthusiastic about continuing a career in arboriculture. The great thing is, it’s not just Treescape that will benefit from this, there is a plethora of companies in Auckland that require skilled arborists.”

A pilot is in place, and the first cohort of 11 students are studying Level 3 Arboriculture with Wintec at Treescape’s Õtāhuhu depot. Five of the students were existing Treescape employees who study part-time.

Wintec Science and Primary Industries Horticulture Team Manager, Eric Haycock, says that arboriculture training in Auckland has been delivered by Manukau Institute of Technology at Level 3, and it has done a great job of breaking the ground for students, but the course is planned to be discontinued for 2022.

“Wintec was approached by Treescape to fill a gap and so we created this pilot scheme,” says Mr Haycock, adding: “This industry partnership proves that working with employers and on location can better meet their needs and it helps to further careers within communities where the work is. In this case, it’s a first, we are delivering outside our region but we’re picking up where there is a gap in training availability, utilising Wintec’s longstanding expertise in arboriculture and horticulture training.”

Arboriculture, the art and science of planting, caring for and maintaining trees, is delivered from certificate (Level 3) to diploma level (Level 6) at Wintec’s specialised campus in the picturesque, 58-hectare Hamilton Gardens. Mr Haycock says all students work two days a week in the industry, so the need for quality employer partnerships is vital to their success.

Mr Worth is passionate about arboriculture and excited about the future of the collaboration with Wintec. He says this is the beginning of a future where advanced specialist training is accessible: “I’d like to think that this the beginning of a specialised arboriculture training delivery centre here in Auckland, it is something that has been needed in the region for well over 10 years.

“Manukau Institute of Technology has done a fantastic job bringing arboriculture back into the eyes of the community as a new and exciting career. My hope is that with Wintec continuing this, with the wealth of knowledge and years of experience they have in delivering leading arboriculture programmes in New Zealand, we can encourage more people to become arborists,” he says.

“Arboriculture is not just a job, it is an amazing career and a great lifestyle.” NZL

Trainee arborists at Treescape can earn while they learn with Wintec on-site. Photo Treescape.