Max Waugh

I have been employed by RiverSpace since December 2022 and carry out work during my study breaks. This job has helped me improve my confidence, work ethic and communication as well as having brought me many more learning opportunities. The majority of projects I have been involved in have been around the restoration of environmental protection areas such as wetlands. As I was employed as the field supervisor I took on tasks such as managing health and safety risks, communicating with landowners and local council staff members as well as ensuring projects were finished by deadlines. This provided me with opportunities to work on and understand the importance of clear communication, time management and attention to detail all whilst completing projects up to the clients standards.

After completing College in December of 2019, I was given the opportunity to move to the South Island and work as a field operative for Contract Wild Animal Control based out of the Otago and Southland regions. The role primarily revolved around the eradication of pests throughout environmental areas. On any given day I could be working with helicopters and motorbikes or hiking through snow, wind and rain to complete tasks given to me. Due to the high risk environments that we worked in, it was crucial to complete risk assessments on a daily basis to ensure the safety of the team. These processes taught me the importance of being health and safety minded as well as having an eye for detail. Furthermore, this job taught me the importance of having a team spirit as we worked long hours with a 10 day on, 4 day off roster. Team spirit was crucial to getting the projects completed whilst ensuring everyone was motivated and happy. Furthermore, throughout my time with this company I learnt and became very efficient with the use of GIS software to plan projects, trap lines, buffer zones as well as keeping track of team members. This skill was essential as there was up to 7 team members to keep track of and ensure they were safe as well as adhering to project specific information.