Waikato Business News October/November 2022

34 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2022
Waikato uni students solve
sustainability problems
Students have been working to find
solutions for sustainability problems
posed by local organisations, and have
shared their insights as part of the
University of Waikato’s Impact Lab.
Impact Lab is part of
the Work-Integrated
Learning (WIL) papers at
the University, providing an
opportunity for students from
all disciplines to collaborate
Bachelor of Business students, Joel
Liddle, Kyle Martin and Akshay Aolaskar
and develop transferable
skills.
Year three student teams
presented their findings on
topics such as Tauranga City
Council Student Transport,
Trees at The Meteor, and the
University’s Community Herb
Garden Project.
Bachelor of Business
(BBus) students, Kyle Martin,
Joel Liddle, Akshay Aolaskar,
and Bayley Graham teamed
up with Bachelor of Social
Sciences (BSocSc) student
Chloe Logan to create - one
of the most exciting central
city areas in New Zealand - on
behalf of the Tauranga City
Council.
Impact Lab
provided a lot
of opportunities
to get handson
experience
and work on a
project - it was
very much a
drawcard
The group investigated
sustainable transport options
for students in Tauranga, an
area undergoing significant
growth and development.
Mentored by Priority
One’s innovation manager
Shane Stuart, the students
valued the hands-on, realworld
practical approach to
learning.
“For a lot of us, it’s very
hard to get work experience,
especially in entry-level roles.
Impact Lab provided a lot of
opportunities to get hands-on
experience and work on a
project - it was very much a
drawcard,” Kyle says.
Before Impact Lab there
was no data on how students
University’s Community
Herb Garden Project students
travel to and from the Tauranga
campus.
Akshay says he specifically
asked to be part of the Tauranga
project, “because the
whole idea of sustainability
while supporting a community
is key.”
Joel says he enjoyed working
with people from different
backgrounds and subject
areas within the university
and valued the chance to work
with the community to share
knowledge.
Another group looked at
how The Meteor Theatre in
Hamilton might reorganise
and rejuvenate the Trees at
the Meteor event, including
accessibility improvements
for the community, after
Covid-19 and management
changes impeded the event
over the last two years.
It was made up of BSocSc
students, Petra Williams and
Melissa Jardine, BBus students
Omar Abdullahi and
Callum Johnstone, and Bachelor
of Management Studies
with Honours student Jacob
Oak Archvarin.
The event, which normally
raises around $20,000 each
year for local charities, will
use the student’s findings for
future events.
WIL papers connect academic
learning to the practical
applications of the workplace.
It’s a compulsory component
of all undergraduate degrees
and includes work placements
and work-related projects.
As part of their study,
students can spend up to
400 hours in the workforce
acquiring and applying essential
professional skills that
prepare them for life after
university.
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