Katie Nagy

Katie Nagy knows what good environmental management looks like.

She's part of the team at Environment Canterbury, helping tackle some of the region’s toughest resource management challenges. As a Resource Management Technical Lead, Katie's job ranges from training staff to making sure environmental rules are followed out in the field.

It’s a job with real-world pressure, but Katie wouldn’t have it any other way.

“What I really like about my role is being able to see the impact that you're making,” she said.

“We come across a lot of different scenarios, some that take multiple years to resolve, but some that are very quick solutions to real problems.

“Being able to provide that advice gives me a real sense of satisfaction, knowing there’s something I’ve done for the environment that will lead to a better outcome.”

Before all this, Katie was a student moving between two continents.

She grew up in Vienna and came to Aotearoa New Zealand in 2010 for her undergraduate degree. She's been living here ever since.

Katie returned to her studies with the Master of Natural Resources Management and Ecological Engineering at Lincoln. The programme is hosted alongside Austria's BOKU University and was the perfect combination of her background and passions.

The chance to spend a semester back home in Vienna was a big drawcard, but the combination of courses sold her on it.

“I really wanted to study something that I could apply in the real world, and Lincoln University had those programmes.

“It was very flexible, so I could pursue my interests and think about what would be most suitable for a future career.”

Many of the courses she’s used in her career were ones she took in Vienna and aren’t offered in New Zealand. These skills helped her stand out in job applications, particularly in river engineering.

Being able to choose what areas to specialise in gave her an internationally rounded education in science, policy and environmental management.

At Lincoln, she found a community where learning felt personal. 

“Because it’s smaller than other universities, it was easier to get to know lecturers better. The whole atmosphere is that of a ‘family’ campus.

“As a postgrad student, the community was great, with a lot of international students, and I loved my little office space.”

Her career at Environment Canterbury has steadily grown from hands-on work to strategic leadership.

She began in compliance, checking on consented activities across Selwyn where “every week felt like a field trip,” with visits to factories, earthworks, rivers and even coal mines.

She later joined the rivers team, managing gravel extraction, assessing availability and supporting flood protection. Katie then stepped into a Principal Consents Planner role, processing complex, high-profile applications.

Now, as Resource Management Technical Lead, Katie trains and supports staff, provides expertise, and helps ensure compliance across subdivisions, quarries, waterways and more.

“It’s working with science and resource management, but really in an applied way.”

It’s a career shaped by both theory and experience, something she credits Lincoln with helping her build.

“For people who are of the mindset of problem solving in the real world, Lincoln University is definitely a great fit, because that’s what it provides and that’s what it prepares you for.”