Photo caption: Ellie Taylor is working at Emergency Management Bay of Plenty after graduating with a Master of Disaster Risk and Resilience from UC.
Ellie Taylor began her role with Emergency Management Bay of Plenty (EMBOP) shortly before catastrophic landslides happened in the area on 22 January this year.
Taylor, who is originally from Nelson, completed a Master of Disaster, Risk and Resilience (MDRR) with Distinction at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury late last year. The master’s course followed her Bachelor of Science in Geography and Geology degree, which involved studying geohazards with UC School of Earth and Environment Senior Lecturer Dr Tom Robinson.
Taylor says being involved in a real-life Civil Defence Emergency Management response was an intense and difficult experience in her first job out of university.
“I had been on the job essentially for five weeks when the tropical low occurred and the Group Emergency Coordination Centre was activated. I was working in the Public Information Management team, and it was definitely a massive learning experience and pretty confronting.”
It was made clear during her studies that Aotearoa is exposed to a wide range of natural hazards that occur quite frequently.
“Tom Robinson is an amazing lecturer who specialises in landslides. I found it so fascinating listening to him. But to actually see the impact that these hazards can have on the communities involved was devastating.”
Taylor is a Communications and Engagement Advisor in the EMBOP Risk and Engagement team. Her role focuses on understanding the risks facing the Bay of Plenty and helping communities build their knowledge and resilience through education, engagement and risk communication.
“I had studied geohazards through my Bachelor of Science and then doing the MDRR really set me up in terms of the space that I’m now working in,” she says. “I was introduced to the emergency management system through the degree and had an understanding of natural hazard events, so that has really helped me translate information for the community.”
She says one of the highlights of her studies was a simulation exercise where she acted as a Public Information Manager (PIM), a hugely helpful preparation for her career.
“That's now my response function when we activate the Emergency Coordination Centre. So when the severe weather events happened in January, I was working in the centre as a PIM. That simulation experience, and having had that practice coordinating media stand-ups, was really, really valuable for me.”
A guest speaker from Canterbury Civil Defence Emergency Management Group who visited her class during the degree also led to an important networking opportunity. Ellie asked if she could shadow him and his colleagues in their Christchurch office for a month while she was still studying towards her master’s, and he agreed.
“That was amazing experience and it also helped me get into my current job. It was a good foot in the door,” she says. “It was great to have all of the industry experts come in during the degree, it allowed us to see where we might fit into New Zealand’s natural hazard sector or emergency management system.”
Her advice to other graduates is to knock on the door of organisations they would like to work for. “See what they have, make those contacts and network, reach out over a LinkedIn page, or message people. Don't feel awkward, because the worst they can say is ‘no’. And the best they can say is, ‘yes, we have something for you, or I can put you in contact with someone who may be able to help you’.”
She now jokingly says to her current employers that she “had to be annoying and kept knocking on the door, saying ‘please let me in’.”
Ellie is a keen surf lifeguard who volunteered for Christchurch clubs while she was a student and is now part of the Mount Maunganui Surf Lifesaving Club. She wanted a career where she could also contribute meaningfully to the community. “I come from a surf lifesaving background. I'm really passionate about volunteering and helping people, whether it's on the beach or training new lifeguards, anything like that.
“I like to think I'm quite calm under pressure in emergency situations. I enjoy being the bridge between technical geohazard information and working out, ‘how does this impact people and how can I help people when these things happen?’
“To be able to help support the Bay of Plenty community understand, prepare for, and respond to natural hazard events; it feels pretty special to be able to translate everything I have learned.”
Taylor crossed the stage at UC’s Faculty of Science spring graduation celebration on 25 August at Wolfbrook Arena, watched by her parents and grandparents.
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