Two young wāhine Māori say summer internships with Lincoln Agritech have inspired them and helped to decide the path they want to take in their education and careers.

Dani Joy (Ngā Puhi, Ngati Whatua) and Lani Rotzler Purewa (Tūhoe, Ngāti Pūkeko, Schwarzwālderin) worked in the field and the lab in Lincoln and Te Urewera as part of the Pūhoro STEMM internship programme, helping with a project to screen biological agents of cereal and pea fungal pathogens.  Lani also spent time learning about the mātauranga of her Tūhoe iwi, including its interface with science.

The Pūhoro internship programme provides opportunities for rangatahi who are studying STEM at university to gain real-world experience.

Dani is completing a BSc in biology and Māori indigenous studies at the University of Canterbury, while Lani has completed a BA in development studies at Victoria University of Wellington.

For Dani, working in a laboratory was nothing new, but the detail of the work she did in isolating and identifying the pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici and its associated bacterial community was.

“My main takeaway from isolating these pathogens and associated bacteria was being able to build on previous lab skills and to use new lab tools,” she says.

But from this and a previous internship, she has learned another important lesson. “This is a good time to make mistakes and grow,” she says. “You can make mistakes and learn from them. You build your skills, and you make connections you will need to have a good career.”

For Lani, the opportunity to connect with the mātauranga of her Tūhoe iwi, through the guidance of Kaiārahi Māori Chaz Doherty, has been profound. “I grew up in Germany and London,” she says. “Māori is my third language.”

And getting hands-on experience in a laboratory working with experts such as Research Scientist Jin-Hua Li was an eye-opener, she says.

“As a social scientist, it’s been really, really cool to hang out with these ‘hard’ scientists and get a glimpse into the work they do, and to see the real interest and curiosity into all things mātauranga Māori.”

Before their Pūhoro internships, neither Dani nor Lani was clear about where they saw their careers going, but they now feel more certain.

“I’ve always wondered where I would go, as there were all these different options,” says Dani. “I have talked to my kaihautū (mentor) about what pathways I could go down and I’m looking more at the conservation path.” She is now aiming to do an MSc in biology.

For Lani, the experience has opened a pathway she had previously closed off – she’s investigating doing a master’s or PhD in mātauranga Māori.

“I had lost faith in the western education system,” she says. “I was talking with Chaz about losing interest in doing further study, but I was blown away by what he had to share.

“I don’t think I would’ve even considered doing a master’s if it wasn’t for his gentle push and support.”