Author: Sam Abad

Today we visited the Te Papa Museum. It was a very fun experience filled with so much information. They had a multitude of exhibits that were so interesting. The museum contained 5 floors that told pieces of New Zealand’s history. I learned a lot about New Zealand’s history. My favorite part was an exhibit called…

Today we met with Sustainability Trust New Zealand. They are a social enterprise that supports sustainable living. They work with Wellington City and surrounding areas to educate people on sustainability, circular economy, and how to reduce, reuse, and recycle. They also serve the communities through services that aid families in becoming more circular. For example,…

Today we had a full day of presentations and conversations with representatives from the University of Victoria’s School of Architecture and the University of Otago. We learned about the relationship between architecture and sustainability. One thing that really stuck out to me today was how city planners and architects think about the littlest of things…

Today we met with Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA). They are an independent association that works with other companies to make sure that they are working towards sustainability. I really enjoyed meeting with this company. One of the things that I really appreciate is that they make themselves available to their members. They work with their…

Today we visited two of Victoria University’s campuses. We met with Andrew Wilks, the director of Sustainability, and learned about some of the things the University is doing and working towards in order to be sustainable. We also met with two of his colleagues to learn more about specific projects and topics that had to…

Today was packed and full of adventure. Volcanic Valley We started out by taking a trip to Waimangu Volcanic Valley. This valley features the world’s largest hot spring, extreme geothermal activity, and is environmentally protected. This Valley came to be when Mount. Tarawera erupted in 1886. Before the eruption, the Valley was filled with rolling…

Today we visited Sanford Fishing Company which is one of New Zealand’s oldest companies. We learned about the way in which they keep their business and the fishing industry safe and sustainable. I was very impressed with this company because they were very transparent about what they were doing, what they lacked/ struggled with, and…

Today started with an early morning ferry to the very very beautiful Waiheke Island. Once there we began our day planting trees and a hike through a section of the revitalized forest of the island (pic 1). After that, we bused over to Mudbrick, a wine company, to taste some wine and learn about the…

Today was our first official day of class! We met with Anthony, the Sustainability Manager of SkyCity (a gambling and entertainment company and hotel chain). I learned more of the ins and outs of what it takes to run something as big as SkyCity and make sure that it is sustainable and continues to develop…

Hi Everyone!My name is Samantha (Sam) Abad! I am a third-year child development major and History minor. I am very excited to be taking part in this trip and class with you all. A fun fact about me is that I will be turning 21 years old while we are on the plane heading to…