Former Te Puke High School student Emma-Rose Simpson is on the Bay Conservation Alliance Cadet scheme. Photo / Emma Richardson
Whichever career route she might take, Emma-Rose Simpson seems destined to be doing something that involves getting her hands dirty.
Emma-Rose left Te Puke High School last year but was already working part time in a diesel workshop. She continued for the first three months of 2023.
But her focus has shifted and she is now one of 11 students on the Bay Conservation Alliance’s Bay Conservation Cadet programme.
The programme has been running for a little over two years and 70 passionate, environmentally minded cadets have graduated. The cadet scheme is an employment and training programme under Jobs for Nature, aiming to grow the capability and conservation skills in the Bay of Plenty and support adult cadets on their career path in conservation.
Although she enjoyed working on diesel engines, she couldn’t see herself doing it permanently, and decided to pursue a passion kindled while at school.
Emma-Rose was introduced to the work of Maketū Ōngatoro Wetland Society (MOWS) through the school’s Earth, space, science programme in Year 12.
“We started doing stuff with MOWS, and that was the Earth side of it, and that just opened up a whole new doorway for me,” she says.
“What I really liked about the things I did with MOWS was the practical side of it and how they run [the programme] through schools so you are with your classmates.”
The work included monitoring eels, wetland planting and restoration, fencing nesting sites at Maketū and rubbish cleanups. Working in the wetlands struck a chord with Emma-Rose, but she also feels she gained a better understanding of the environment around her.
“You just look at [Maketū Spit] and you just think ‘oh, dunes’, but there’s just so much more involved in it than you realise,” she says.
“And [the work] was all incorporated into assignments, so we would get credits for it while having fun.”
She says the area of work she enjoyed most was working on and with wetlands.
“I don’t know why, I just really enjoy it. With my cadetship now, we are doing a lot of different things, but I am still drawn to the wetland stuff.”
She says MOWS has a positive vibe.
“They are really positive people and have a lot of experience and help you understand a lot.”
MOWS is a member group of the Bay Conservation Alliance and MOWS education officer Janie Stevenson is also Bay Conservation Alliance education manager.
“[Emma-Rose] was one of those standout students that was totally engaged in our field trips, so we did multiple field trips in Year 12 and 13 with her, with her class,” says Janie.
“We get to know them over that period of time and can see their passion for conservation and that was really evident with her.”
When Janie bumped into Emma-Rose earlier this year, she told her about the cadetship.
“Initially, she was too young ... but she decided to wait it out until she turned 18 so she could apply.
“I think she just knew it was a good course and was going to give her that first step to deciding what it was she wanted to do. I think that’s why the cadetship is so good because it’s such a variety — we talked about whether she liked terrestrial science or marine science but on that course you can get a taste of both and then decide, and that’s what’s so great about it.”
Emma-Rose is about halfway through the cadetship.
“We haven’t done too much wetland stuff so far, but there’s a lot of bird identification and I have definitely learned that there are a lot more birds than I thought — we’ve been identifying them and listening to their bird calls. And the same with plants — I can identify plants and trees a lot easier.
“We’ve had a whole week on pest control and it really helped because I learned a lot about pests and different ways of trapping them and the damage they are doing to our native areas.”
So far she is enjoying it.
“[The tutors] are really good to learn from because, I guess, they teach you in a way that you can understand and it’s a smaller group of people, which is good.”
Growing up on dairy farms meant she has experienced the outdoor life since she was young.
“I love hunting and fishing. Just being outside in the fresh air and everything around you is a lot better than being inside watching the TV or being on the phone.”
She began to believe a career in conservation was possible while at school.
“Then it wasn’t until I left school and was doing a job that I liked, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, that I realised I can actually do the stuff I love and get paid for it, make a career out of it.”
She now sees her future working in conservation, but not in a classroom or lab.
“I definitely want to be outside in the environment, doing physical work as well — something outside and hands on because I learn best that way, and that’s something that MOWS really helped with.”
Janie says she hears Emma-Rose is doing well on the course.
“She said to me it was really the MOWS field trips that really got her interested, and that’s really cool feedback to hear from a student who’s looking at this as a lifetime passion. We are lucky in this area that we have the opportunity to foster that.”
Emma-Rose last year won the Year 13 Maketū Ōngatoro Wetland Society Environmental Achievement Award.
“She’s going to do some really good stuff for our environment,” says Janie.