What's your background?
I have always been passionate about animals and nature, so during my studies, I chose to work within these areas, including at a pet store and an animal hotel. After graduating from my degree, I worked at SPCA in the small animals area for a couple of years, it was amazing – I still volunteer there on the weekends.
Although it was tough to leave the rescue bunnies, in 2023 I decided it was time to follow my ultimate goal of a career in sustainability. I was lucky enough to land a position with WM New Zealand. I truly enjoy my job, the team is lovely and the role allows me to have flexibility.
What’s your team culture like?
I have the most amazing team and everyone is super lovely and kind. We have become friends which is great. We always have a great time doing things together as a team, for example, we recently enjoyed spending the day volunteering to plant trees. I was a really inspiring day, and the teambuilding brought us even closer as a team. Due to the nature of my role, I get to work with people from many parts of the business across New Zealand, and everyone has always been more than happy to help out. Everyone really has each other’s back here at WM New Zealand.
Describe a typical day
Every day at WM New Zealand is different, there is always a new project or event to work on, which makes it a really exciting environment to be in. A typical day starts at the office at 8:30am with my first task of the day, checking and responding to emails. The rest of the day is allocated to whatever projects I am working on at the time or meetings to attend.
One of my most recent projects was to host a staff competition to celebrate Earth Day. The competition consisted of the team sending in photos of how they take care of the environment and could go into a lucky draw for vouchers.
The entries were very heart-warming and inspiring. Its great to see what our team does in their spare time to make a difference to the environment. I usually have a catch-up lunch with the other graduates at our onsite café head back home at 5pm.
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...
I would say ‘yes’ to every opportunity you can, whether that be at work or in your personal life. Have a look at ‘Yes Theory’ on YouTube, life’s greatest moments exist outside of your comfort zone.