Agribusiness

John Hollows from Ernslaw One Ltd (winner of NZ 2017 Outstanding Food Producer Award & 2017 Southland Community Environmental Award) visited the College yesterday and spoke to 80 students. He brought along some cute crayfish which the students thoroughly enjoyed. John is the Aquaculture Manager for the highly successful freshwater crayfish venture which started in ponds in a Southland forest. This venture transformed an unproductive resource into a productive one and has grown considerably. There are now 2,000 registered manmade ponds in New Zealand. John said this ancient species “rule the pools” and are a “tasty treat for trout, eels and birds.” He is passionate about education which focuses on conservation, the environment, and future proofing and is keen to support Agribusiness at Kavanagh College. We are excited about John’s generous offer and look forward to exploring further opportunities for student learning. John told the students how he enjoyed filming with the team from Country Calendar. They had lots of laughs.

Currently, John is involved with scientific research at the University of Otago exploring ways to reduce the high death rates of baby crayfish. He showed the students a “world-first” close-up photo of a baby crayfish taken at the University.

The first export order was sent to Hong Kong recently. The crayfish are ideal for exporting as they have a shelf-life of 7-10 days. John considers crayfish to be “great educational tools” and, as you will see from the student faces, I’m sure you will agree! Finally, John mentioned the various employment opportunities within this sector including, consultants, biologists, scientists, researchers, bankers, business advisors, export advisors, chefs, heavy machinery operators, retail assistants. He explained that there is a shortage of graduates in Agribusiness and encouraged the students to participate in work experience and part time employment to gain skills and experience. If you are interested in finding out more about this exciting Agribusiness you can watch the following Country Calendar episode: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/country-calendar/episodes/s2018-e11

Next week: Another busy week as Agribusiness students head to Vault 21 and the DairyNZ SITE Conference.