The Sun
Wednesday December 6, 2023
NMIT ‘Christmas gifts’ By Chris Valli
Two recent graduates of Nelson Marlborough’s Institute of Technology (NMIT/Te Pukenga) can thank their local industry leaders and employers this Christmas season. NMIT covers a variety of programmes offered at the Marlborough campus at certificate, diploma or degree level across a broad range of study areas with the ākonga (students) access to high-quality facilities, offering practical study and direct employment opportunities. Elizabeth (Lizzie) McMullen completed a Bachelor of Viticulture and Wine and is now employed by Forest Wines who have been ‘amazing mentors’ to her. Lizzie, a cellar door host ‘shares Forrest Wines’ while working as a vineyard operator for nine months learnt about irrigation, young plant management, trellising and planting. “I’ve been a lab technician and cellar hand for the harvest period analysing wines and stopping fermentations. I’m floating between all three aspects of the business which I thoroughly enjoy,” she says. She says she was speaking to her Year 6 teacher at a previous job she had and mentioned she was looking for a position for harvest as she had to write her second-year paper on the experience. “She mentioned her son-in-law was the vineyard manager for Forrest Estate and asked if I was interested in contacting him. I got in touch with him who then put me through to Beth Forrest. She offered me the harvest role alongside a
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The Sun
Outage Marlborough Lines had an ‘unplanned outage’ affecting customers in the Main Street and Park Terrace areas in Blenheim last Wednesday morning. The outage was due to a vehicle accident that resulted in damage to the electricity network.
Woman charged with causing crash Wiliam McKelvy and Lizzie McMullen are recent graduates from NMIT/Te Pukenga. William has an apprenticeship with Blenheim Toyota while Lizzie has found employment at Renwick’s Forrest Wines.
contract summer position in the cellar door. I was working at a supermarket at the time so I jumped at the opportunity,” says Lizzie. Lizzie says Beth was a huge influence in her studies and helped her develop an interest in certain parts of the winery process, placing her in the lab and then the cellar before pushing her to explore a harvest for a much larger winery for 2023 vintage. “I came back with renewed enthusiasm for smaller production and unique wines,” says Lizzie. “The vineyard team at Forrest were also a big help in my studies as I did my final project on organics and they asked me many questions and showed me what certain trials look like in the industry. They are also the funniest team, people I can joke with and have fun with on the job.” Lizzie says as the New Year looms she is looking forward to an international harvest with the ‘Forrest family’ having asked her to ‘set her future planning outside of New Zealand’. She says she is looking at some cool climate
harvests, Canada or Oregon, in the United States having caught her eye. “I’m looking forward to learning about more wines. They plant so many unique varieties and produce exciting styles of wines that I haven’t seen from any other Marlborough wineries before,” she says. “Overall, I’m looking forward to expanding my skill set and stepping into some bigger roles in wine production.” Meanwhile, William McKelvey completed NMIT’s Level 3 certificate in Automotive Engineering and now has an apprenticeship with Blenheim Toyota The 17-year-old who attended Richmond View says he chose NMIT because not only was it close but he had heard good things about it. “I did Level 1 Automotive through trade’s academy at NMIT while at school so I felt like it was always the place I wanted to do my training,” says William. William’s work experience at Toyota consisted of two days
a week, Thursday and Friday, resulting in a four year apprenticeship which he started on Monday, December 4. “I learned loads of stuff that could be used in that I learned at the course to be used in my apprenticeship from simple servicing to ending up learning to tear apart and rebuild engines. I look forward to learning more and working with a brand that I enjoy and just getting to do what I love on a daily basis,” he says. Blenheim Toyota CEO Scott McDermid says they’re looking forward to sharing the knowledge of their existing team and supporting apprenticeships with upcoming talent like Will. “It’s critical for us as a business to always be building on this as the future of mobility shifts. The industry is seeing massive growth in the tech built into vehicles. It makes for a hands-on learning experience in a broad range of topics, all while earning a living and building a career that is rewarding on lots of levels,” says Scott.
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A woman has been charged following the fatal crash that killed prominent Marlborough lawyer Philip Watson on Omarama-Lindis Pass Rd/SH8 on November 19, the day before his 65th birthday. Last Tuesday, a police spokesperson says a 28-year-old Auckland woman was charged with aggravated careless driving causing death in relation to the crash.
Marlborough Football holiday programme Marlborough Football has a holiday programme for kids to develop their football skills on Monday, December 18 and Tuesday, December 19 at A&P Park in Blenheim. Each session includes skillbased training and games. For more information contact nicky@ mainlandfootball.co.nz
Christmas in Park Marlborough’s iconic Christmas event showcasing the Marlborough Concert Brass Band and the Christmas In The Park Children’s Choir is on this Saturday, December 9 at Churchill Glade, Pollard Park from 5 - 7pm. Bring a picnic or buy from our many food vendors. A familyfriendly event for all to attend.