Yuki Waga, Sports Turf Management
Yuki Waga had an epiphany when he was on holiday in England, watching Manchester United play soccer on their home turf.
He was passionate about sport and had always wanted to be able to work outdoors, so he decided then and there to combine the two and become a professional groundsman.
There were few opportunities for Yuki to train for his chosen profession in his home country, Japan, however, so he spent several years working and saving money to travel to New Zealand and enrol in Otago Polytechnic’s Diploma in Sports Turf Management.
Now that he’s here, Yuki has no regrets about the hard work he put into making the move. "This is a great course," Yukki says. "I’m learning all sorts of new skills, and people in New Zealand are very welcoming and friendly."
The tranquility of Cromwell is a change of pace from the hubbub of life in Japan, Yuki says, and he is adapting enthusiastically to the change. This is not the only novelty that Kiwi culture has presented Yuki with – he had never heard of cricket before he came to New Zealand, and now he is building cricket pitches. 'I am watching as many games as I can!” he says. "It’s a challenge, but I'm learning fast."
Rugby is another story, however. No stranger to the national game, one of Yuki’s dreams is to work for the All Blacks, and his work placement at Westpac Stadium in Hamilton, which will host two games at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, brings him a step closer to making this a reality.
He laughs that if he is lucky, he may even get to live his dream more than once, with Japan having been announced as the hosts of the Rugby World Cup in 2019.