Agriculture is a vast and diversified field encompassing so many areas with numerous careers from which to choose. The ability to work outdoors and enjoy the peace and quiet is just one of the many benefits that come from working in agriculture. There are also other bonuses which include the opportunity to work in a growing industry that generates billions of dollars in export earnings every year. Dairy exports alone make up 20 percent of New Zealand's total exports in any given year.

New Zealanders don't wait for the answers to come to them – they go out and find them. Biotechnology is just one of the fields of science where New Zealanders have proven their ability to adapt and create new solutions to emerging problems. Biotechnology is about more than growing plants – it is about ensuring the survival of rare species and strengthening existing strains of plants.

Biotechnology includes studying plant bio-security and developing bio-fuels. The opportunities are huge both nationally and internationally for biotechnology professionals.

If you are interested in a career that is dynamic, constantly changing and challenging then forest management is the choice for you. Forest managers are a key link in the forest industry supply chain. Managing entire forests, providing logistical support and quality control are all part of the manager's role. Forest management is an ideal option for people who love the outdoors, have technical and business skills and are ready for a challenge.

Forestry is an important aspect of our lives and economy, and plantation forestry in New Zealand is expected to grow in value over the next 15 years with increased levels of wood becoming ready for harvesting.

Do you love being in the great outdoors? Do you enjoy working as part of a team and enjoy hard work? Forest operations is one of the primary roles within the forest industry. Forest operations work covers the process of converting a tree into a log. It is vital that the primary product is prepared for the next stage of sawmilling.

Forest operations is about getting hands on knowledge and practical skills today to enable you to meet the demands of international markets tomorrow.

If you are interested in plants, flowers, fruit growing, landscaping, plant propagation, or working with native plants, take a look at horticulture and you'll see a growing and diverse industry that is rewarding with plenty of career opportunities.

Thinking not just about today, but about our future and the generations to come? Have an interest in science and utilising our natural resources? Perhaps you want to educate people to adopt cleaner, less destructive systems and processes. Or develop new green products, services or business models. If so, you can help the world move toward a greener and more sustainable future with a qualification in sustainability.

Turf maintenance and management combine an interesting mix of skills. You'll use practical plant knowledge and soil science to grow the best turf; you'll need excellent machinery skills to maintain the area; and you'll need great communications skills to keep up with industry and customer needs and trends. These are skills for an industry that can take you worldwide.

Do you enjoy working with your hands and want to challenge your intellect? Do you have practical skills that you want to use to get started in a sustainable career in a manufacturing industry? Solid wood processing is the remanufacturing of a renewable timber resource into value added products for local and international markets. In 2009 New Zealand exported solid wood products worth $3.5 billion, making it the country's third largest export product.

In the Central North Island the timber processing industry is second only to dairy for manufacturing products that are exported. New Zealand companies invest large sums of money every year into leading edge technology, computer driven scanning, cutting, sorting and decision making equipment and tools. Wood manufacturing is a vibrant, highly technical and challenging industry and at the centre of it all is Rotorua.