Single-minded success - Settlement Support

Staff profiles
Tui Products
Mahesh Pandey
Nepal
Working at Tui Products has been a
family affair for Mahesh, as both his
wife and sister-in-law have also worked
there in the past. He has been with
the company since February 2009 and
now has a full time permanent position
there.
29 year-old Mahesh says, “I really
enjoy the physical work and I do a lot
of different jobs – I move around a
bit.” The variety of tasks means he can
be loading seed into bins that feed
the packing machines one minute, and
driving the forklift the next.
Mahesh worked in Hotel Management
in his native Nepal. An interest in
agriculture has further developed since
his involvement with Tui Products and
the seed manufacturing industry.
Mahesh spends his free time playing
soccer and bike riding. His extended
family includes his mother, brothers and
their families, and they regularly get
together with 30 other Nepalese who
have settled in Palmerston North.
24 LINKZ | ISSUE 48 | 2011
Susantha Edirisinghe
Sri Lanka
In September 2008, Susantha became
the first migrant worker employed at
Tui Products.
Susantha holds a degree in Electrical
Engineering and was Chief Executive
Officer of a 1000 employee company
in Sri Lanka before coming to New
Zealand.
He is fluent in three languages including
Mandarin, which he learnt while living in
China for six years when studying for
his Bachelor of Science.
Despite his impressive qualifications,
Susantha has struggled to find a
job that uses all his experience and
expertise however; his engineering skills
are well utilised around the Tui plant’s
automated packing systems.
“I love anything to do with automation,”
he says. “So operating and maintaining
the packing machines are the best part
of the job for me.”
Susantha’s wife Samantha is doing a
PhD in Business Management at Massey
University. “We came here for her to
study and to experience a new culture,”
he says.
Always keen to extend his general
knowledge, Susantha loves to read.
His favourite way to relax is to spend
time with his wife and ten year old son
Namodh.
Doris Missamou
The Republic of Congo
Doris loves her job at Tui Products.
“Everyone is very cheerful,” she says.
As a French speaker, Doris found
communication difficult when she first
started the job in August 2009. “It has
been a good way to improve my English.”
She works as part of the production
team usually operating a seed packing
machine. It is quite a change from her
job in the Congo as a receptionist for a
petrol company but she says, “I am very
happy here”.
They socialise with 12 other Congolese
families.
“I love to make African food but I am
learning to cook like a New Zealander
too,” she says. ■