Kaito Paetz
Hi, my name is Kai and I'm a technical intern at NZGBC. I've just finished my final year at the University of Auckland studying Mechanical Engineering. I am half Kiwi and half Japanese but have grown up in New Zealand most of my life.
My work at the NZGBC has been mostly focused on Green Star and NABERSNZ. Part of this has been the analysis of key stats from previous Green Star Projects. While it is great to see the major improvements in building performance until now, much more still needs to be done!
The experience so far has been a great introduction into how I can contribute to a more sustainable and energy efficient future in the built environment. The large collaboration required by the whole project team and a range of consultants to achieve a truly green and healthy building has been a real eye-opener. Excitingly, this presents the opportunity to work with people from a vast range of backgrounds to work towards a single goal of a better future.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my internship at NZGBC and the opportunity to work in such an awesome team.
Cherelle Fuamatu
Talofa Lava, my name is Cherelle and I am of Samoan descent. I come from the villages of Leulumoega, Fagali’, Lauli’i and Eva. I was born and raised here in Auckland and come from a family of five. I attended the Auckland University of Technology and recently graduated with a Bachelor of Business majoring in Marketing and Human Resource Management. My career aspirations include working for a major company in the Marketing sector or becoming a Marketing lecturer.
I am working in the Marketing Communications team, helping with the rebrand of the organisation, membership engagement, organising events, and creating toolkits for corporates. I am fortunate enough to be working on different projects which has given me an insight into various work the NZGBC does.
I've learnt a lot here, but one thing that has stood out for me is realising the poor standard of living some New Zealanders are living in through the various rating tools. It's also been amazing to be apart of the team who are passionate about coming up with solutions to provide better, healthier, homes in Aotearoa.
Before my internship I was nervous about entering a corporate role, however, the team here at the NZGBC have been really inviting and helpful towards wanting me to take as much as I can out of this experience. I have learnt how team culture is such a factor to creating an enjoyable working space.
What next? I am planning on returning to university to complete my postgraduate diploma and working towards one of my goals of becoming a lecturer. I am excited for the journey ahead and grateful to the NZGBC for ensuring I gain so much learning during my internship.
Jack Steele
Kia ora. I recently graduated from Victoria university of Wellington with a research Master’s in Architectural Science (previously known as Building Science).
Prior to this internship I mainly worked with other technically minded people and architects. The broader range of teams here at NZGBC has shown me that it takes a group of like-minded people with different skill sets to actually create change.
I am working on a few minor projects. However, most of my time is devoted towards updating a handful of technical credits in the Homestar tool so that they once again provide an achievable goal that reduces environmental and human impact.
So far at the NZGBC I've had opportunities to attend client meetings, share my views with the team, present on an area in which I have expertise, and meet interesting people. While I strive to always be learning, my biggest take-away is the understanding of how Homestar works, is applied, and can be used to improve New Zealand’s housing stock.
No matter what I do next the experiences, knowledge, and contacts I have made so far will make that journey more interesting and meaningful.
At NZGBC we love the energy that our summer interns bring to the team. Our summer internship programme is now in its fourth year and is an integral part of our drive to connect talented students and recent graduates to the green building industry. Talk to us about NZGBC Future Thinkers