We caught up with Sophie and Zinzan to hear about their experience interning in the Health & Wellbeing team at Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway, Waka Kotahi’s multi-million dollar roading project reconnecting Manawatū to Tararua.

Sophie, a Bachelor of Arts (Anthropology) student is back for a second summer having interned with the team in 23/24. For Zinzan, a Year 13 student at Palmerston Boys’ High School, this was his first taste of a career in health and wellbeing.

Under the guidance of Hemi Heta – Wellbeing and Culture Manager, Sophie and Zinzan have been thriving in a whānau driven environment with people and relationships at the forefront.

Inclusivity was key when it came to Sophie and Zinzan being able to fully engage in the experience. Te Ahu a Turanga’s commitment to Te Ao Māori and the welcoming of youthfulness made the transition from study to work a smooth one.

“On my first day Hemi encouraged me to go around and introduce myself to the entire office. At first it was quite intimidating but now I can see how it has shaped my experience and helped me build relationships with my colleagues,” said Zinzan.

Sophie and Zinzan acknowledged how important it was to use this opportunity to develop their soft-skills, particularly their ability to communication and relationship building skills.

“As the health and wellbeing arm our ability to engage with the wider team solidifies our capacity to do what we do and to deliver our message. The liveliness and youthfulness that Sophie and Zinzan have brought to the organisation has really helped that,” said Hemi.

The duo have also benefited from the opportunity to work across different teams and departments. They have spent time with the ecology team exploring birdlife on site, in the lab testing soil samples and with Te Pūtahi (the project’s iwi directorate) connecting with local iwi.

When asked what advice they would give to other students looking at completing and internship Sophie spoke about commitment and keeping an open-mindset.

“Keeping an open-mind and building relationship with the rest of the organisation has meant I’ve been given lots of opportunities to explore new areas of interest,” she said.

Zinzan shared a similar sentiment. “You have to be committed and have a growth mindset. For me that looked like knowing where I need to be when but also being flexible and having a can do attitude,” he said.

If you’re currently studying at a tertiary institute and are interested in an internship next summer, register with Te Urunga Pae – Pūhoro’s tertiary support programme.

If you’re interested in hosting interns next summer than please send an expression of interest through to info@puhoro.org.nz.

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