Thomas Lovelock | McCall MacBain Foundation Kupe Leadership Scholar

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Mechatronics

If you were to close your eyes and picture our planet 100 years into the future, what would you like that future to look like? I picture a world where, as a species, we have found a new harmonious symbiosis with nature. It is a future where cooperation has taken the place of exploitation and the health of Gaia is how we measure progress. It is a lofty dream, but it is a utopia that I am committed to playing my part in bringing about.

An area that I am particularly passionate about is remedying the environmental harm that comes from the intensive agricultural practices that have become so common in Aotearoa and the rest of the world. I want to work alongside farmers and with the industrial corporate entities that control the space, to create a new food growing and distribution paradigm – one that acts in a way recognises the immense value of our soil and water health.

Sponsor: McCall MacBain Foundation

Mentor: Rod Oram, Journalist, Commentator, Edmund Hillary Fellow, winner of the Qantas Media Awards and the Westpac Business and Financial Journalism Awards (Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability and Community Engagement)