New Zealand internships

Many large employers run internship programmes every year as part of their graduate recruitment strategy. Some employ only one or two interns a year, but many hire dozens. Their programmes are aimed at 2nd, 3rd and penultimate year students.

The internship process

In New Zealand an internship is a period of structured and paid work experience, usually (but not necessarily) in a large organisation. Most of these organisations come direct to the Business School Careers Centre, and we advertise their internship opportunities internally on BizBuzz. Many of these organisations run presentations, information evenings and skills workshops on campus to help you make a good application and learn about their business. These events are also advertised in BizBuzz.

In a typical internship, you will:

  • Be offered training and may be assigned a mentor or buddy
  • Work on a specific area of work, or be assigned to a project
  • Work for between 6-12 weeks
  • Work over the summer period (there are also short winter internships)

Organisations who have offered internships to Business school students in the last few years include: 

Accenture, ANZ, ASB, Auckland Council, Audit NZ, Aurecon, Baker Tilly Staples Rodway, Bain, BDO, BNZ, Commonwealth Bank, Deloitte, EY, Findex, Foodstuffs, Kraft Heinz, Fonterra, FNZ, Grant Thornton, Houston Kemp, IAG, KPMG, LEK, MBIE, The Treasury, Macquarie Bank, Mainfreight, Microsoft, Ministry of Social Development, Reserve Bank, T&G Global, Optiver, PwC, Unilever

Where do I look for internship opportunities?

  • BizBuzz – check your email for this Business School newsletter on Thursdays to keep up-to-date with opportunities
  • Follow organisations you are interested in on their website and social media
  • Visit nxtstep.co.nz for internships and graduate jobs