Mentoring a Priority
Category: National. Posted: 17 September 2024
Connecting the wise with the eager to learn:
Mentoring a priority for new NZBI President
The New Zealand Biosecurity Institute has elected Lincoln-based Dr Rowan Sprague as its new President.
Dr Sprague has a research background, most recently with wilding pine trees, and is now a knowledge broker for Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research.
Dr Sprague succeeds Jono Underwood who stepped down from the role earlier this year.
Dr Sprague plans to concentrate on encouraging newcomers and supporting professional development in the sector. As the NZ Biosecurity Institute’s Vice President, Dr Sprague introduced a mentoring scheme for members of the Institute .
“I see mentoring as a key aspect of a functioning professional body. It is vital to make sure members are engaged and well informed.”
I see the Institute’s key role as providing opportunities for those working in the broader biosecurity system, to share, learn and get to know who’s who.
The Institute’s networks make it far easier to connect the questions with the answers. If you can’t find the answer, you will definitely find out who knows the answer.
She said the Institute’s members form the inner engine of the NZ biosecurity system. “The strength of the NZBI is the way it connects all the parts of the engine,” she said.
The Institute can take pride in the calibre of its members, and I see that as a key reason for the world-class biosecurity system we have in New Zealand.
The government has set some pretty ambitious targets for the biosecurity sector over the past few years and the Institute and its network of practitioners, managers, policy makers and researchers are well placed to work effectively towards them.
“As well, the unwanted establishment of plant diseases kauri dieback and myrtle rust, the sustained control efforts to eradicate the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis, the discovery of Caulerpa in Northland and invasive freshwater clams in the Waikato have tested biosecurity workers nationwide as they have come together to manage the organism’s’ further spread.
“All this on top of Institute members’ efforts to control legacy pests such as gorse, broom, rabbits and possums, among many other unwanted organisms,” she said.
As well we face budget constraints along with most sectors, so the challenge is spending resources wisely, whether they be research or operational.
“The Institute exists for its members. Its prime function is to encourage and support members do their job to the best possible standard,” she said.