Student Profiles - Harpreet Singh
Just two and half years after moving to New Zealand from India, Harpreet Singh’s standout performance as a student made him an in-demand commodity.
at Interpine focuses on data collection and analysis which includes data plotting, measuring forest inventory and forest valuation. After just four months in the role he has already travelled throughout the North Island and to Australia for special projects.
One such important project Harpreet has worked on is the Land Use and Carbon Analysis System (LUCAS) programme, a government initiative led by the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF). LUCAS helps New Zealand meet its international reporting requirements under the Kyoto Protocol by tracking and quantifying changes in New Zealand land use, particularly since 1990.
Eventually, these results will allow New Zealand to claim global credits for our ‘carbon sinks’ under the international trading rules to which New Zealand is committed.
Harpreet came to New Zealand in 2008 to study. “I chose New Zealand because it’s one of the few countries which provides good opportunities for international students,” he said.
“My experience at Waiariki has been excellent. I found it a bit hard for the first month because of the new atmosphere and language. The support given by my tutors and classmates helped me a lot. I feel Waiariki is one of the best places to study in New Zealand.”
When asked why he enrolled with the School of Forestry and Primary Industries at Waiariki, Harpreet said, “Honestly speaking, I never thought about forestry when I was in India. It was advised by my consultant. Now I really feel that I have made the perfect choice.”
What are Harpreet’s goals? “I am very flexible and keeping my options open in terms of the type of position that may arise in future,” he said. “As I am new to the forest industry, my first target is to gain some experience before I can aim for my future years. I have not thought a lot about this, but I am hoping to adopt some management position in a forest company. If I get a chance later on, I would go for the Bachelor of Applied Management.”
