Top 20 under 40: Nyah Teiotu is BHP’s first indigenous woman engineer

She admits to having one of the world’s coolest jobs, but working in the mines is by no means the only way that this young mum is breaking new ground.

NYAH Teiotu has made a career out of breaking new ground.

That’s not just because her day job involves drilling holes, packing them with explosives and watching the fireworks fly.

Last year Ms Teiotu became the first indigenous woman ever to work as an engineer at mining giant BHP.

In May, she was recognized by the Queensland Resources Council as 2019’s most exceptional person at the QRC Indigenous Awards.

Her journey to reach this point involved juggling her academic career with pregnancy and then raising her newborn daughter between engineering lectures and exams at the University of Queensland, all before the age of 28.

The now 30-year-old drill and blast engineer at BHP’s Blackwater coal mine, an hour east of Emerald, says she has the coolest job in mining but in truth it’s probably her second passion.

Mentoring indigenous students following in her footsteps to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) courses at university is the other.

Nyah Teiotu was celebrated as the Queensland Resources Council's exceptional indigenous person of the year. Picture: Peter Wallis

Inspiring future generations of indigenous students coming through the Australian Indigenous Educational Foundation scholarship program is a cause close to the Wemba-Wemba woman’s heart, because she could not have made this journey without that support.

Ms Teiotu was the recipient of an AIEF scholarship to attend the University of Queensland between 2007 and 2016.

Mrs Teiotu said the invaluable support of the AIEF during her time at university had proven how important the scholarship program was.

“For the past two years I’ve organised the AIEF and BHP university student’s scholarship workshop,” she said.

That’s what I’m passionate about, driving those initiatives, focusing on students themselves and letting them know a good attitude and work ethic can let them do anything they want in this industry.”