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  • Alumni gather in Tokyo for the launch of NZACJ

    ENZ celebrated the launch with a reception in Tokyo, joined by nearly 100 NZACJ members as well as Ambassador Stephen Payton.

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    • Alumni stories are a powerful way to promote an authentic study experience, and offer practical advice to prospective students

    ENZ’s Senior Market Development Manager – Japan, Misa Kitaoka, and NZACJ’s Executive Director, Tomoyuki Amano, outlined ways members can support local education fairs, and give career counselling and guidance on university admissions for high school students.

    Misa was pleased with the turnout and level of interest and support from the members.

    “It was a fantastic occasion to connect former students of New Zealand and Kiwi residents of Japan, who share the same passion for promoting New Zealand as a study destination,” said Misa.

    “Some of our guests travelled from Fukuoka, Osaka and Sendai to attend the reception and I was very inspired by their enthusiasm.”

    Ambassador Peyton acknowledged the Japanese and Kiwi guests in the room, including members of the Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan, Kea, the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) programme and the Prime Minister’s Scholars for Asia, for their contribution in promoting New Zealand in Japan.

    Ambassador Payton addressing the room

    Ambassador Payton addressing the room

    Misa said the highlight of the evening was keynote speaker Sotaro Kawada, who received the dux award at Garin College in 2016 despite speaking very little English when he moved to Nelson five years ago. He will start a Bachelor’s degree in business at University of Edinburgh in September.

    “Sotaro emphasised the opportunities and assistance he received at Garin College, which gave him the self-confidence to achieve his academic and personal goals,” said Misa.

    “We had a videographer film the event and look forward to sharing these inspiring alumni stories soon.”

     

    For details on membership and registration, visit the NZACJ webpage.

    L-R: Yucheng Su, JET Programme Coordinator for International Relations, Ambassad

    L-R: Yucheng Su, JET Programme Coordinator for International Relations, Ambassador Payton, keynote speaker Sotaro Kawada and ENZ’s Misa Kitaoka.

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  • Fermented flour a food waste breakthrough

    Ninna Granucci, a former University of Auckland international student, is part of a new generation of thinkers contributing solutions with out-of-the-box thinking. 

    Ninna grew up in Brazil and saw for herself the amount of food waste primary producers there generated. Learning about the scale of the problem globally, she resolved to apply her skills to help bring about change.  

    “I wanted to use science in an area which fascinates me –microbiology and specifically, fermentation – to try and find a solution to this huge problem.” 

    University of Auckland a great place for new ideas 

    Ninna chose to study for her PhD in Biological Sciences under Dr Silas Villas-Boas at the University of Auckland in 2014. “The university environment was a great place for new ideas, to promote the spark to find solutions to problems, with the scientific approach to support it.” 

    It clearly worked. After only 18 months, she had a breakthrough in the lab which she knew could make a real difference. She refined a fermentation process to successfully convert waste pulp and peel from selected fruit and vegetables into a nutritious flour. Widening the range of ingredients in her trial, she proved she was on to something.  

    Data from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)shows that almost 32 percent of plant-based product is wasted annually. Ninna’s technology has the potential to make substantial progress on this. 

    It turned out that the ingredients also tick all the boxes for health and sustainability-conscious consumers: high protein, high fibre, low calorie, gluten free, rich in vitamins, minerals and natural antioxidants. And the bonus is that they also have lowest CO2 footprint compared with other ingredients in the market today.    

    Entering her prototype into the University’s Velocity 100K Business Idea Challenge sparked media interest and a flurry of inquiries from supermarkets and other businesses wanting to buy the product. “That was when we realised it was not only an academic project but also something which could be much bigger and could help to address the problem of food waste,” Ninna says. 

    Green Spot Technologies has global plans 

    With support from Velocity, she and Silas co-founded sustainable food innovation company Green Spot Technologies, which has ambitious plans to go global. Ninna is now CEO and based in Toulouse, France, where the business is established in a start-up accelerator environment and employs 15 people.  

    But back in the early days, it was pretty nerve-wracking. “My plan was to complete my PhD first and then set up a company based around the project. But after the success in the Velocity Challenge, we decided the time was right to forge ahead with the start-up. It was quite challenging. My background is all scientific, I didn’t have any experience in business, and I had a lot to learn.”  

    She is grateful for the support she got at the University of Auckland and believes that her career path would never have progressed as quickly if she hadn’t chosen New Zealand as a study destination. 

    “I give a lot of credit to New Zealand for how things worked out”

    “New Zealand was the catalyst,” she says. “I managed to secure a scholarship through Callaghan Innovation available to students looking to add value to waste streams. It allowed me to focus on the work and find opportunity. I give a lot of credit to New Zealand for how things worked out.” 

    Ninna worked in Auckland with other international students from around the world and says that, too, helped contribute to her success. “When you are in the same situation you can support each other and that was super important during my PhD.”  

    New Zealand education the right decision 

    Ninna remains passionate about sustainability and reducing food waste. It is at the heart of her business and is important to her personally. The mission of Green Spot Technologies is “challenging the food waste paradigm to feed the future”. The company has won multiple awards, both in New Zealand and in Europe, highlighting the unique nature of its technology and products. 

    With food insecurity spreading to hundreds of millions of people around the world, the UN has set a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to halve food waste by 2030. It is an ambitious target and needs innovative thinkers like Ninna to make it achievable. 

    “I think it is incredible that we waste so much food, knowing that we need more food in the world. It doesn’t make any sense, but it motivates me to work on solutions,” she says.   

    The decision to study in New Zealand was a critical part of Ninna’s journey from international student to international businesswoman and innovator. “I could not have imagined that it would lead to such huge changes in my life in such a short time,” she says.  

    “A New Zealand education provides a truly enriching experience. I really think I made the right decision.” 

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