Their Neck of the Woods
Marketing specialist and e-volunteer Ernest Nieuwoudt is helping build learning capability within the forestry sector in Papua New Guinea.
The North Island town of Feilding seems a world away from Papua New Guinea, but that’s exactly where Ernest is e-volunteering from for VSA.
Ernest is working for Pacific Island Projects (PIP) as a Digital Communications and Marketing Advisor, tasked with developing PIP’s online communication strategy and delivery of its digital content across numerous channels. PIP is a not-for-profit organisation that supplies the forestry sector with a one-stop source of information, collaborating with partners and stakeholders to develop living and learning resources covering agriculture, forestry, and education.
Volunteering for VSA wasn’t something Ernest had considered as he assumed he would need to be based outside of Aotearoa New Zealand, but when a VSA advertisement caught his eye, he took another look.
“I thought I’d need to be hands-on in PNG, but I learned there is such a thing as e-volunteering. It ticked a lot of boxes – there were projects on offer with a lot of support and resources. And how cool to learn about different cultures without being there. I’ve also met some great people, all without leaving Feilding!”
Ernest is mid-way through his 12-month project and according to PIP managing director Simon Rollinson, the e-volunteering concept is “working well”.
“It’s great to have someone who can respond to our communication and marketing needs, whether that’s the development of our communication strategy or quickly sharing a useful communication tool or resource when it’s needed,” says Simon.
“We’re making good progress and I’m confident by the end of the project we’ll have something that meets the information needs of our technical and financial partners. Ernest plays a valuable part in realising that objective.”
Ernest spends around five or six hours a week on the project, tucked in around his full time marketing job, and says good preparation and a shift in thinking were needed before the assignment began.
“You have to switch off from your normal life and tap into another part of your brain. There’s a lot of analytical thinking and flexibility required. Together with PIP we had to come up with resourceful solutions, especially driving a digital project in a country where internet access was limited. Adapting PIP’s channels and messaging to reach every member of their target audience including schools, research institutions and industry is my key task and while sometimes challenging, it’s been incredibly satisfying and enjoyable.”
First published in Vista June 2023