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Simon Bousfield joins EIT Tairawhiti

July 30, 2012

EIT Tairawhiti’s campus manager Simon Bousfield is confident an expansive career in New Zealand and offshore gives him the right foundations for his new job.

He comes to Gisborne after six years with Coca Cola which saw him heading the sales and marketing team for a large part of the North Island, but he has also spent time working in Australia’s mines and even on super yachts in the South of France.

He and fiancé Zara Graham were looking to move back to her hometown, and he was rapt to discover a job that offered plenty of challenge with a big future.

Strong communication skills built up over his working career and a fresh perspective on things both on and off campus are assets he figures will be put to good use.

“It is a bit of a broad role,” says Bousfield, who originally hails from Hawke’s Bay.

That’s a bit of an understatement. His role includes overseeing the grounds and facilities across the four Tairawhiti campuses – covering more than 15,000 square metres – managing contracts and negotiations at Tairawhiti, overseeing health and safety issues, liaising with industry and the wider community to ensure their needs are being met by EIT Tairawhiti, assisting with marketing and making sure EIT helps the economic development of the region.

“It all comes down to relationships,” he says, “building good relationships across the board.”

It’s Bousfield who is campus director Jan Mogford’s right hand man.

One of his biggest challenges has been learning a “whole new lingo”, understanding how the tertiary sector operates and its relationships with Government. While he has only been working at EIT Tairawhiti for a few weeks, the transition has been made easy by the welcoming staff.

When he’s not contemplating work issues, Bousfield is more likely to be found outdoors doing anything from multi sport to hunting.

He and mate Willie Murphy clocked a stellar effort in the teams’ section of the Lake to Lighthouse Race and he says while he’d love to do the epic Coast to Coast, it’s not likely to happen in the immediate future.

“And of course I love spending time with my family and friends too. This is our home now,” says Bousfield. “We want to settle here and while my new job is busy and demanding, I wouldn’t want anything less.”