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Meet our People: Susanna Barris, Executive Co-ordinator, Compliance and Investigation Group

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Imagine sitting in a restaurant in China with your husband-to-be barking like a dog beside you.

For Susanna Barris and her partner Bukha it was really the only way they could communicate that they didn't want to eat dog meat. "China was the most difficult backpacking experience, but the most rewarding," Susanna says.

And despite the stories she had been told about the food in China, she claims it was the best she experienced during her three and a half years travelling overseas. "Probably from the food point of view, China was my favourite place. It was an absolute culinary sensation.

Everywhere we went in China the food was delicious, the tea was delicious. I can see why it's such an old tradition and the way they cook is fast and fresh."

Bukha wasn't averse to the odd moo of a cow or clucking of a chicken to get what he wanted either. And Susanna says because of this they knew what they were eating - well most of the time anyway. "It actually was difficult sometimes and we had been warned that they eat dog. We were careful and Bukha would make animal noises in restaurants to make sure we were getting the right meat."

Susanna has been working with NZFSA for one year. It was her first job back in New Zealand after spending three and a half years working and travelling overseas.

"I look after the compliance assessors and investigators who live and work all over the country from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island … They keep me busy, I get phone calls all the time."

Among other things, Susanna finalises the audit reports and organises the distribution of them. Some are small, some are large.

"They've just done (an audit) of the transport industry, transporting meat around New Zealand. The reports come back to me after they have gone to peer review and I distribute them.

I have contact with all the groups within NZFSA really because I make sure everyone is getting what they need."

Susanna also represents CIG on a number of committees in Wellington. The CIG team has 18 staff, only two of them are based full-time in Wellington.However another full-time staff member is to start in Wellington very soon.

"They are a great team to work for. I think a big part of the job is making sure they have contact with somebody else in the group. Because they work remotely and by themselves and spend most of their time with clients, I think they enjoy the contact with Wellington, and whether they need to chat about their day or get something done, I am here for them," she says.