Tricia Jane - Wine Tutor Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology’s wine tutor, Tricia Jane, has a guiding motto. “I really believe that the person who does the work is the person who learns.” With over 25 years experience in the wine industry Tricia has lived that philosophy and now encourages her students to experiment and try things themselves. “I think it’s vitally important, especially in the wine industry, to have a go and make the mistakes while you’re in the NMIT environment. Things can easily go wrong in winemaking – but that’s a huge part of the learning process.” Tricia has seen most wine making problems and many times has been called upon to find solutions in her previous role as an international wine consultant. She’s helped on projects from the South of France and South America to Italy and Spain as well as here in New Zealand. “I love the problem-solving aspect of consultancy where you find solutions and make things happen.” Tricia’s wine career started on the science side when she started working in the laboratory of the Wine Research Section at Ruakura Agricultural Research Centre in 1977. She graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Wine Science) from Charles Sturt University in Australia in 1981 by which time she was laboratory manager for large North Island wineries of Corbans Wines. She moved to the same position at Cooks Wines in 1982. But it didn’t take long before she moved into winemaking and discovered a particular affinity for the variety and complexity of making different wines. Alongside her love of making wine, there was always a desire to help others find their own wine-making passion. Tricia spent the ‘90’s and early 2000’s either teaching , consulting or wine-making around the world. She lectured in wine-making at Roseworthy College, the University of Adelaide, Plumpton College in the United Kingdom, and at EIT in Hawkes Bay. Throughout those two decades she was a flying winemaker in Hungary and Spain - for Myliko Wines and France with Cellarworld International. She moved to winemaking consultancy for Cellarworld, and worked in Europe and South America, adding Italy, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay to the countries she has worked in. She started her own consultancy company when she returned to New Zealand. “A lot of consultancy is teaching in a different way, guiding people with where they’re going.” Her love of teaching has seen Tricia help many of her students go on to do well in the industry. She says she has always loved the feeling of seeing the penny drop for a student. “That gives me a real sense of achievement as a tutor. When they make their first wine, which is very significant for them and they’re so proud of it, I really enjoy sharing those special moments.” Tricia Jane has a strong academic knowledge of wine and has been involved with specialist research. While she was lecturing in Wine Science at the University of Adelaide, she explored the influence of yeast strain on wine flavour for a Master’s degree in Agricultural Science. “At the same time, I supervised Graduate Diploma students’ research into the interaction of yeast and oak chips during fermentation; and evaluation of differences in cap management during primary fermentation of reds.” With such an extensive wine background across all aspects, styles and locations Tricia offers a large body of knowledge for her NMIT students to tap into. “I think it is important that I have that depth. The students will ask me questions and I’m able to give them real life examples to reinforce what I’m teaching. I’m able to say ‘this happened in this winery and here’s how they dealt with it.’ Tricia says her understanding and practical experience helps to illustrate the teaching and make it come alive. ““I like to share the knowledge journey with my students without just telling them what to do – it’s about guiding them individually. It’s the great to watch their confidence blossom and help them into a new career in the wine industry that I love so much.”
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Dion Mundy - Viticulture Tutor Mention trunk fungi or bunch rot to Dion Mundy and you’re likely to start an animated discussion. Dion is a respected expert on grapevine diseases and he spends much of his time researching how to keep New Zealand’s grapevines healthy, as part of his job as scientist for Plant and Food Research in Marlborough. With over 15 years experience in viticulture research, Dion is a valuable asset to NMIT Diploma in Viticulture and Wine Production students. He has been a tutor on the course for six years and is currently teaching on the subject of Vineyard Bio Protection. “The nice thing about tutoring the diploma is that I can take the different levels of information that students already have and share that with the other students. I also make sure they’ve got the theoretical base to be critical thinkers and ask how chemicals work, and what side effects they might have, so it’s a process where I’m helping to upskill the industry.” Dion grew up in the wine industry, and worked on the family vineyard in Canterbury while he completed his Bachelor and then Master of Science with Honours. In 1999 he joined the Plant and Food Research team in Marlborough and is still with them today. Dion is a skilled researcher and has published many scientific papers on grapevine diseases. The Bio Protection paper he’s teaching combines online and face-to-face interaction. “We are catering for students who may be working in the industry around New Zealand and who want to get that formal qualification. We have fantastic online forums where the students talk about what they’re actually experiencing in the vineyard.” Dion says his former NMIT students have also proved very useful.“They’ll often get in touch and say things like ‘ You know how you talked about downy mildew? Well we’ve got some this year in Gisborne’ – that’s all field research I can use.” Dion has even been able to convert some students, who were planning to become winemakers, to a love of viticultural science. “Two of my former students are now technicians working for us. What I teach shows them that there is another career path –not just viticulture or oenology but also in the related disciplines.” He’s proud that the grapevine disease information he shares with his NMIT students is the most up-to-date information available in the country. “This kind of information would normally be for an active researcher doing a university degree, yet they’re getting it on the diploma.” Dion hopes his personal enthusiasm for the wine industry rubs off on his students. “I can’t help my passion coming through in my teaching and they seem to respond to it. The students are always asking questions that are way ahead of what the syllabus requires, but they just want to know more. That’s the best feedback possible for me.”
Don Cross - Horticulture Tutor Don Cross brings a wealth of experience in many sectors of the horticultural industry to his tutoring role on the NMIT Certificate in Horticulture. With a degree in Agricultural Science from Lincoln University, over 40 years of practical horticultural skills and ten years of tutoring, he has a lot to offer his students. “I see my tutoring role as a commitment to education and horticulture. We need this level of dedicated learning to keep the industry up there on the world stage.” Don has a background in a variety of commercial horticulture crops. He’s run pip and stone fruit orchards growing cherries, apricots, peaches, nectarines, apples and nashi. He’s also established olive groves, including an organic olive grove, and has become involved in viticulture training. But Don’s expertise is not only in his own commercial horticulture ventures. He has been a Field Officer for the New Zealand Horticultural Industry Training Organisation, an irrigation consultant, and a specialist MAF Agricultural Engineering Farm Advisory officer. “I love helping people reach their full potential. To see our horticulture students progress beyond what they thought they could achieve is my basic aim and I’m always trying to improve the learning process for students.” Don plans to do that through the new nursery being constructed on the Budge Street campus. He believes it’s important for the students to be able to put into practice the techniques and skills they’re learning in the online classroom. Don has always been involved in the wider Marlborough community as well as with his horticulture industry associations. “My background includes professional consultancy, advisory, orcharding, olives, all aspects of irrigation and tertiary education. I feel this breadth of experience helps me connect with my students.” Don is keen to let future and current horticulturalists know the benefits of gaining the NMIT Certificate in Horticulture. “The qualification is an entry level course. Often people working in horticulture know how things happen - this course helps people understand why. Because you can learn flexibly online, with tutor support and campus sessions it can fit in perfectly with people who are working, but wanting to get more out of their home garden.” On the other side, Don says it’s also a great qualification for those working in horticulture such as nurseries or garden centres who want to take the next step in their career, with this course a stepping stone to higher qualifications in Horticulture. “These are exciting times, and this course provides an excellent entry level into further online learning, which undoubtedly is the way of the future.” Back to top Loes Reitsma - Horticulture Tutor NMIT Horticulture tutor Loes Reitsma says she’s much like her students. “I have a love of plants and a love of learning. Whenever I get the chance to learn something new I take it. That’s what I want to give to my students, the knowledge that it’s really not scary to be learning new things and it’s opening up the world for them.” Loes, who grew up in the Netherlands, has an impressive CV. As well as having a Masters degree in forestry from the Agricultural University of the Netherlands, she also has a raft of teaching qualifications and has taught horticulture, biology and science at many high schools around New Zealand. Loes has also researched the establishment of totara in the Orongorongo Valley near Wellington for DSIR. With her wide experience of teaching horticulture over many years, she’s still as enthusiastic about passing on her knowledge as when she first started. "The students on the NMIT Certificate in Horticulture are very varied and they keep me motivated to help them meet their goals. Seeing other people meet challenges and get the qualifications is such a rewarding part of teaching.” The nationally recognised Certificate in Horticulture means different things to each student. For some it’s a way to get their first job in horticulture and for other’s it’s the qualification that will help them advance to higher positions in the industry. “I have students who have never sown a seed before and other who are commercial nursery workers who’ve done it a million times. There’s a wide range of skills and knowledge levels I’m teaching.” The modules of the Certificate in Horticulture are all online but with a weekly drop-in tutor support time on campus where students can ask for help. “One person may be asking me about monocotyledons and dicotyledons, another might be asking me about irrigation and the third person is asking me about cuttings. It’s a very vibrant student-led classroom session and I love it.” Loes says the Richmond campus has a great large tunnel house, a shade house and a garden. “When I want to show someone how to take a cutting we just walk outside with some secateurs and I can demonstrate that in the garden. That’s the beauty of teaching on this course – the perfect blend of practical skills and knowledge.” Back to top