Lindsay Battersby

Position: Chief engineer

I got snotted on by a whale once. I was working on deck on the R.V. Kaharoa under the welding helmet doing some welding. I thought the deck hands were wetting me and looked up to tell them off and saw a whale covering me in snot! One of the best voyages I’ve been on was in Papua New Guinea in around 2014, watching a volcano blow up beside the ship.

I’ve been working at NIWA since 2002. Before NIWA I worked in Strait shipping as second engineer. As chief engineer I feed the squirrels to keep the boat moving! I work with the engineering team to maintain and operate the ship machinery and systems. I find the job interesting and challenging.

My favourite thing about the job is the interesting eclectic people you meet. There are some really high functioning people who come through. That’s probably one of the things that keeps me coming back.

For anyone who is considering marine engineering, learn to think on your feet and be fairly adaptable. It’s been a good job, has paid my mortgage so far and got two kids through uni.