Economic development with a climate lens: an internship perspective

At Auckland Council, I worked as a climate intern on the Sustainable and Resilient Business Team in the Economic Development Office.

I primarily worked on researching global approaches to economic development with a climate lens and organizing a workshop between experts on innovation and climate. My role involved conducting independent research to learn about the functions of economic development offices globally and their approaches to climate action. This meant reading resources like city and local government websites, impact reports, and climate action plans.

After researching these topics, I would discuss interesting approaches and information with my manager and mentor in weekly meetings. I compiled my findings into an organized set of recommendations for my team to use to advocate for new approaches in Auckland. I then organized a workshop between Auckland Council and the University of Auckland based on the topics to help strengthen the relationship between the two. I also attended team meetings to learn about other projects that my teammates and department were working on to expand my knowledge of the various initiatives within the department.

A highlight was having the opportunity to attend various events, such as the State of the City launch for 2025 and the ceremony officially establishing the new Economic Development Office. My experience with Auckland Council provided me with interesting insights concerning sustainability action in the local government context. I learned more about the inner workings of local government agencies and catering solutions to the local community. The internship allowed me to use my systems thinking skills that I had learned through my coursework in a real-world context. I am excited to continue learning about how sustainable solutions can be implemented at all levels.