From 3R Group to Peru and beyond

E wana ake – strong roots, flourishing shoots.

Hosting interns is one way 3R makes sure that we’re nourishing the future flourishing shoots of our industry and community.

Former University of Canterbury students Anna van den Hout and Kezia Alexander spent three months with us as interns in 2022/2023 building on the earlier work by interns Olivia and Sara for the Sustainable Hawke’s Bay project.

They did some great work investigating solutions for pallet strapping, label backing and organic waste like corn starch and oat milk byproducts.

The pair are something of the intern ‘twins’, having completed the same degrees at the same university, have done the same volunteer work overseas and are now working at the same company. We caught up with them recently:

What have you been up to since your internship with 3R?

Anna: I finished my final (fourth) year of Chemical and Process Engineering (Hons) and a Diploma of Global Humanitarian Engineering. During my final year, Kezia and I spent a month in Peru with an organisation called Windaid, building a wind turbine which we installed at a remote community in the Peruvian highlands called Nuevo California. It’s so remote it doesn’t even come up on Google! 

When I finished uni, I spent the summer travelling in NZ, as well as spending a bit of time in Japan. In late January 2024, I started a graduate role as a Project Engineer at DETA Consulting in Christchurch, working on energy efficiency/decarbonisation/sustainability projects over a wide range of industries.

Kezia: I also completed my fourth year – ticking off my degree in Chemical and Process Engineering (minoring in Bioprocess Engineering) as well as a Diploma in Global Humanitarian Engineering.

I really enjoyed my last year at uni and took part in some really cool opportunities like being a residential assistant for WiECAN (a programme for year 12 female students interested in studying engineering), volunteering for WindAid in Peru, and being President of CAPESoc (Chemical and Process Engineering Society).

I also picked up some new hobbies like skiing, pottery, and trail running. I spent the summer after finishing uni exploring NZ and walked Milford Track, Kepler Track, and Tongariro Northern Circuit, as well as completing the Queenstown Half Marathon!

I’m now working at DETA Consulting and have already worked on some really cool projects in the carbon and energy space.

What memory stands out most about your time with us?

Anna: I think something that stuck with me was the experience and feeling of working for a company where the people genuinely and personally cared about the mission, as well as about each other. I could see from interactions in the office, and just having conversations, that the people want to make a difference in the sustainability industry. That showed me how important it would be in my future career to work with others who were inspired and motivated.

Kezia: One of my favourite things about 3R was the passion that the team has for sustainability. I really loved working with people who care so much about the environment and are genuinely trying to make a difference.

I think the work culture was great, and it really inspired me to continue on to a career that is in the sustainability space. Other great memories I have from 3R involve the many site visits Anna and I went on.

I think we visited about 20 different sites, which was extremely valuable. We also got to meet some great people and were provided with a vast range of opportunities to learn from experts. 

How do you think your internship helped prepare you for your career?

Anna: It was an introduction to the sustainability space which has given me a very good foundation for my current role. I’m now working more closely with the energy side of things rather than the physical waste but have found that thinking of products and processes with the ‘inputs and outputs’ at front of mind has been very helpful for my current role.

Kezia: My internship was beneficial in so many ways. The exposure to lots of different processing sites was really valuable. Being able to see these processes and have a deeper understanding of how they work was great.

Working at 3R gave me a great advantage when I was applying for graduate jobs as I had the relevant experience working for a sustainability organisation. I also developed so many life skills at 3R that have probably helped me more than the technical stuff, like communication skills from dealing with many different stakeholders while gathering information for our projects.

I also grew my confidence in public speaking with the final presentations that we completed. Another thing I learned, which really helped me in my career so far is not to take myself too seriously and make sure to have fun along the way. We shared so many laughs in the office and that really inspired me to look for a similar company for my grad job that had the same kind of values as 3R group.