November 25, 2015
Maori economy demanding trained bodies
Lincoln’s new pro-vice chancellor Maori says it’s time for universities to step up and start developing the people needed to fuel the Maori economy.
Geologist Dr Charlotte Severne previously held senior positions in the National Institute of Water and Atmosphere and other research institutions.
She also serves on a number of Maori trusts, including chairing Ngati Tuwharetoa’s Lake Rotoaira Forest Trust.
She says knowing the trust and the larger Lake Taupo Forest Trust gives her a practical appreciation of what is needed.
"We’re trying to gear ourselves up to be a forest company and we need 20 undergraduates a year to go through to get degrees in forestry and farm management and that's just two scrappy forests on the shores of Lake Taupo and Lake Rotoaira so when you look at the rest of what (Maori) have in the primary sector, it's enormous what we need. It's time to really get into the thick of it I feel," Dr Severne says.
She says a lot of work is needed in workforce planning, so young Maori aspire to the management jobs that require a degree rather their only role on a forest is using a chainsaw.
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