Department of Biological Sciences

Career Profiles

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Biosecurity Pest Plant Contractor

Name: Heidi Pene Employer: Environment Waikato Vocation: Biosecurity Pest Plant Contractor Degrees: Bachelor of Science, Master of Science Subject: Biological Sciences

Managing Weed Pests

Having been sponsored by Environment Waikato to do her MSc in Biology at The University of Waikato, Heidi was then offered full time employment as a Biosecurity Pest Plant Contractor, a job she loves because of its variety and large outdoor component.

As a contractor, Heidi is employed to implement the Regional Pest Management Strategy, a multi-faceted strategy that aims both to remove pest weeds from the Waikato and to educate the public about their threat.

"Over the last few years the pest plant management has really changed," says Heidi. "We used to focus more on agricultural work where we inspected for thistle and ragwort, but now we've moved into the environmental and educational areas a lot more."

"Because of the environmental focus we do more surveys, so one day I could be up a mountain, in a helicopter or up a river discovering new weeds. The next day I could be in a school talking to children, or inspecting a nursery for plants banned from propagation and sale. I'm certainly not office bound," she says.