Raven Maeder

Raven is studying a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies and a Bachelor of Laws.

Raven developed a strong passion for the environmental protection from a young age. This passion grew when she saw the areas she loved being threatened by the expansion of deep-sea oil drilling, the threat of coal mines on conservation land and the effects of climate change.

“When I came to University, I chose Law because I wanted to understand the systems that govern our society, in the hope that perhaps I could contribute in some way to making them fairer and to protect vulnerable people and nature, which are so often voiceless. And I chose Environmental Studies because I want to understand the science behind the issues I care about.

“Ultimately, I want to study the relationship between people and the environment and how we can make that more sustainable.”

Raven has enjoyed the multi-disciplinary approach of Environmental Studies. “There are so many interesting topics that we cover, such as conservation, social justice, sustainable development, science, culture and more.

“The Environmental Studies Conference sees the whole school coming together to present their research to each other and learn from each other, which is really cool because you can get inspiration from older students as to where the course can take you. I’ve also completed field work around Wellington where I learnt about the geological history of the region.”