Following the harvest

“I just finished my final semester two weeks ago,” Jamie says. “I’ve been both working and studying full time, it’s been a lot.” 

Jamie is originally from Wellington and came to Marlborough with a friend when they both found work in a vineyard.  

“It’s actually a funny story. She ended up dating my brother. We both landed cellar hand jobs and had no idea what we were getting into,” she says. 

“But once I finished the harvest, I applied to study straight away.”  

Jamie chose NMIT over other educational institutions in places like Christchurch and Adelaide because Blenheim had the most opportunities.  

“You have an interview at NMIT [as part of the enrolment process] and I got to see if I’d like it there. I met a tutor, Ann Baker, who was really nice and showed me around the campus.” 

Jamie plans to hop between the northern and southern harvest seasons and with a family friend in Canada and her boyfriend coming along, she’s pumped to go. 

“I am coming back in December for the Marlborough graduation ceremony though, I’m excited for that,” Jamie says.  

The $1.5k scholarship that Jamie received from Wine Marlborough went towards her school fees. 

“It was such an awesome feeling to receive the scholarship. A couple of my tutors had to push me to do it and in the end, I just decided to just see how it goes.” 

“Everyone has been so nice at NMIT,” Jamie says. “The thing about NMIT is that they really want you to learn, it’s super hands-on, and the tutors all love hearing about your career plans and what you’re up to.  

“They have all been in the industry too, which helps.” 

Learn more about Viticulture and Winemaking at NMIT(external link).