The Real World

Keeping it clean

When Fiona Mathis decided she wanted a career in the dairy industry, she didn’t see herself working on a farm.

Keen to move into the environmental sector, she got a degree at Lincoln University and qualified for a New Zealand Dairy Industry Undergraduate Scholarship.

With a Bachelor of Environmental Management under her belt, Fiona is now working her way up the career ladder at Fonterra, New Zealand’s biggest milk exporter.

Thousands of litres of milk is processed at Fonterra every day and it’s Fiona’s job to check the production plant's wastewater doesn’t harm the environment.

So what does a graduate environment officer do every day?

“My main function is loss monitoring,” she tells us.

“Every day I go around the plant to check the wastewater and make sure the protein and fat content isn’t too high.

“Then I do an analysis and work out how to reduce the losses from the plant. Once a week I go down to the river and take a sample to check it for clarity. Then I’ll send it off so that it can be tested for chemicals.”

Fiona’s been working at Fonterra for six months now and she’s really enjoying it.

“The people I work with are really fun and friendly. It’s a really good team.”

And the hours aren’t too bad either!

“I work from 7am to 3.30pm every day. It’s great because I get the afternoons off.”

The best thing about the job is variety.

“I spend half the day inside and the other half outside. I enjoy being able to get outdoors instead of being stuck at the office all day.”

It sounds to us like she’s got her dream job! And she has a few tips for people who want to follow in her footsteps.

“Get work experience, even if it’s unpaid. Just get your foot in the door and be flexible about where you want to move to.”