The Wairoa District Council will continue its successful internship programme this summer with four new interns and two cadets.

The WDC has always had a cadetship programme and two local Wairoa students have been selected take up cadet roles this summer.

Briar Thomas, who studies civil engineering at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch and was an intern last summer, has returned to work in the engineering department looking at asset management, updating the GIS database and some geotechnical work.

Zane Tomalin who grew up in Nuhaka has just recently completed his New Zealand Diploma in Civil Engineering at Otago Polytechnic in Dunedin and will also work in the engineering department. “It’s good to be able to come home to Wairoa to do a cadetship at the Council over the summer. I will be working on a drainage and wastewater project, specifically assisting in conducting the house to house survey to check wastewater drainage from properties and looking at storm water discharge from downpipes.”

“This project will take up most of the summer, through to about March and should keep me pretty busy. It’s pretty cool that I’ll be able to get some experience working in a Council, getting to learn some new skills and also working with people that know the business and I think this cadetship will look pretty good on my CV too,” says Mr Tomalin.

Two summer interns come from China, but have been studying at New Zealand Universities.Hu Xiao, who prefers to be called Leo, is studying a PhD in Tourism at the University of Otago in Dunedin and will be supporting the economic development team and tourism manager. “I will be identifying and mapping tourism assets and activities in the Wairoa district and looking at innovative ways to promote the district to potential tourists.”

Kang Lin, also from China will soon graduate from the University of Victoria in Wellington with a Bachelor of Commerce and will support the finance team as a researcher looking at best practice standards for financial reporting templates across New Zealand councils.

Winona Molano, who has already completed a Health Science degree from Massey University Wellington, is also completing a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) from Massey University Palmerston North. She will be working on two projects during her summer internship with the WDC. Her first project will be to support Environmental Health Officer, Victor Minter in getting food vendors in Wairoa signed up to the new Food Control Plan now required by the new Food Act and then she will transfer to the engineering department where she will do research about Wairoa’s drinking water supply.

Matheus Larrossa who studies Environmental Engineering at the University of Brasília in Brazil, comes to Wairoa via the University of Waikato, where he is currently a scholarship student studying abroad on the Brazilian governments ‘science without borders programme’. “I am joining the engineering department of Wairoa District Council and am looking forward to experiencing the range of projects that they have on. My major project will be to support the work in the water treatment plant.”

Wairoa District Council Chief Executive Officer, Fergus Power, says “we’re pleased with this intake of summer interns and cadets. They’re going to be quite busy over the summer. We’ve got some interesting projects for them and they won’t only support Council with adding some additional capacity, but they should all experience really good learning outcomes and gain valuable experience working with staff who are considered experts in their various fields.”

“And who wouldn’t want to spend their summer in this paradise we call Te Wairoa and working with our capable staff at Council. We’re so fortunate that students are applying in their droves to be interns with us. So much so, that we have had to decline a few because we just don’t have the capacity to supervise them. But that’s a really good problem to have; we would be the envy of many councils around the country. We can be really selective about the summer interns coming to WDC, selecting the best of the best and our priority will be for local students from Te Wairoa who want to come home for the summer and gain valuable work experience at council while they study.”

“Interns don’t get paid, therefore cost is minimal, but the return in terms of the work they’re doing for our community is immeasurable. I know that our interns will have a wonderful time with us here in Te Wairoa over the summer and I know that our community will make them feel welcome,” says Mr Power.

For more information:

Fergus Power
CEO
Wairoa District Council
(06) 838 7309

Kitea Tipuna
Communications Strategist
Wairoa District Council
(06) 838 7309

5 July 2016

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