Growing future sustainability professionals
Over the past year, Ekos has continued to evolve its internship programme, creating meaningful opportunities for over ten students across a range of disciplines and teams, including international interns. Built on strong partnerships with the University of Canterbury and Victoria University of Wellington, the programme is designed to bridge academic learning with real-world sustainability and climate action.
Interns at Ekos are embedded within teams, contributing to live projects while developing practical, analytical, and professional skills in a supportive and collaborative environment. The testimonials below from Maire Woida (Nature-Based Solutions team) and Eva Manandhar (Sustainability Consulting team) reflect the diversity of experiences within the programme and highlight how hands-on learning, mentorship, and purpose-driven work shape the next generation of sustainability professionals.
Maire Woida Internship - Nature-Based Solutions team
As part of my German Master’s studies in Forestry System Transformation, I spent the last three months supporting the nature-based solutions team at Ekos as an intern. My forestry background has shown me how essential sustainable, forward-looking management is, and it motivated me to join Ekos, where valuing forest ecosystem services plays a central role.
The shift from traditional clear-cut forest management to continuous cover forestry, with a focus on whole ecosystem functions and the combination of economic and ecological values, becomes a reality through Ekos. I am very grateful to have the chance to contribute to Ekos’ mission and gain first-hand insights into this real forestry system transformation in New Zealand.
In practice, this meant exploring the unique New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme, learning about its regulations, assisting with reporting and GIS analysis, and diving into the world of biodiversity credits through the new BioCredita Programme. A wonderful complement to this was the fieldwork, which became one of my highlights as I could see the projects and the impressive growth of the plants on site.
Beyond the technical learning, I felt truly welcomed by the team. Everyone made sure I felt supported throughout and could learn about the topics I am most interested in. I really appreciate working with such kind and inspiring people.
Because of this, and because Ekos has so much more to share, I decided to extend my internship for another six months in the coming year. I am excited for what lies ahead and grateful to have found such a meaningful place to further develop my professional and academic focus.
Eva Manandhar Internship - Sustainability Consulting team
What drew me to the internship at Ekos was my initial goal of getting real world experience and seeing how my academic knowledge would translate into the workplace. But during the recruitment process, a destructive Glacier Lake outburst flood in my hometown in Nepal really shifted my mindset. It made me realize how urgent climate action really is.
I studied Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Finance at the University of Canterbury. The analytical, data focused nature of the role connected well with what I learned at university. I was able to use my Excel skills, data interpretation, and critical thinking in a practical setting when working with emissions data, reviewing reports, and checking the quality and accuracy of client information.
Right from the beginning, the team, especially Cristina made sure I felt supported and included. The weekly catch ups and her constant availability for questions made a huge difference. Even though I was only a part time intern, I felt respected and valued. Ekos’ culture of kindness, humbleness, and collaboration really stood out to me.
The experience itself was challenging in a good way. The work required strong attention to detail, time management, and problem-solving skills. I had to adjust quickly to online communication, which was difficult at first since I am more used to face to face interactions. Overtime, I got more confident communicating through Teams and email.
This internship has played a big role in shaping my next step. It helped me sharpen skills that I will take into my banking role next year particularly, analytical thinking, communication and ability to work under pressure. This experience made me more aware of the environmental impact of my own actions and showed me how valuable it is to work with people who genuinely care about what they do. Most importantly, it inspired me to keep learning and contributing to climate action in whatever ways I can.