Student Profiles

Rowan was raised on an East Coast farm and was schooled in Hastings.

His love of the outdoors attracted him to forestry work and he spent 13 years working in the industry. Initially he worked in harvesting crews and then set up his own silvicultural crew which employed up to 20 men at times and specialised in pruning and thinning farm woodlots.

Rowan sustained an injury which made him have a rethink about what he wanted to do in the future. He decided to build on the skills he has and invest some time in up skilling in forest management. He joined Waiariki’s 2.5 year Diploma in Forestry (Forest Management) program to work towards a qualification that he considered would be well recognised in the industry and enhance his future job opportunities. His goal is to eventually work in a technical or managerial role in the industry.

In his own words Rowan “loves working in the forest industry and the challenge it has provided him”. He considers forestry to be a potentially attractive career particularly in regions that contain significant plantation resource.