The Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono has been offering business internships since 2009 and is continually growing the pool of businesses we partner with, to keep up with today’s business needs and Asia’s exciting, diverse industries.
As a result of Covid-19, in 2020 the Foundation offered the internships online for the first time and will be doing so again this year.
The two-month paid internships will allow 15 young New Zealanders to experience Asian business culture and further develop valuable work skills for their future careers. The internships are designed to help strengthen these future business leaders’ Asia capabilities.
The 2021 internships will cover eight different sectors: law, biotech, software development, creative industries, digital marketing, trade and export, financial crime research and future food. Hosts are located in Singapore, Malaysia, China and Hong Kong, India, South Korea and New Zealand.
The host companies are:
- Beach House Pictures
- CJ Cultural Foundation
- Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre
- United Media Solution
- Shiok Meats
- New Zealand China Council
- Microsoft NZ
- Eat The Kiwi
- Nutrition Technologies
- World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) Hong Kong
- Tata Consultancy Services.
Asia New Zealand Foundation business programme director Alistair Crozier says the Foundation values the chance to collaborate with such a diverse range of hosts.
“Opportunities for young New Zealanders to live and work in Asia are currently very limited, as the world continues to grapple with COVID-19. But Asia know-how and experience are still in high demand, given the region’s significance for our economic prosperity.
“These paid internships are highly regarded and sought after, with more than 550 applications received this year for the 15 places, the highest ever since we started the programme.
“It’s encouraging to see so many young New Zealanders recognising the value of adding Asia-related skills and international experience to their CVs. The unique skills, knowledge and cultural understanding they acquire will equip them well to work in and with the region in the future.”
Some interns have already begun their internships, while others will start in the coming weeks. The full list of interns, backgrounds and placements is below.
For more information on the internships, please visit our website: https://www.asianz.org.nz/business/internships/
About the Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono
Established in 1994, the Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono is New Zealand’s leading authority on Asia. We provide experiences and resources to help New Zealanders build their knowledge, skills and confidence to thrive in Asia. We work in partnership with influential individuals and organisations in New Zealand and Asia. www.asianz.org.nz
For more information:
Rebecca Inoue-Palmer
Director communications and media
rpalmer@asianz.org.nz
(04) 470 8701
Meet the interns
Ingrid Peterson – arts graduate and law student at the University of Auckland
The Foundation has worked with TupuToa to place Ingrid in an internship at the New Zealand China Council in their Auckland office from November 2021 through to January 2022. The New Zealand China Council is a New Zealand-led, New Zealand-funded organisation that acts as cross-sector body for the relationship between the two countries. Ingrid will conduct research for the Council’s working groups, assist with public-facing initiatives and monitor social media trends. Ingrid has graduated from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Arts double majoring in Chinese and Pacific Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Pacific Studies. She is also about to complete a Bachelor of Laws.
Libby Gane – law and arts student at the University of Auckland
Libby will also intern at the New Zealand China Council in their Auckland office from November 2021 through to January 2022. Libby will be conducting research for the Council’s working groups, assisting with public facing initiatives and monitoring social media trends. She is currently a third-year law and arts student at the University of Auckland, majoring in economics and Chinese language.
Cooper Jamieson – commerce student at the University of Otago
Cooper will be interning at New Zealand-based F&B exporter Eat The Kiwi, one of the Foundation’s new hosts for the 2021 programme. Cooper’s internship will be run online from November 2021, through to January 2022. Cooper will participate in building a supplier CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system; source assets that can be used for social and marketing purposes; and update offshore market collateral. Residing in Martinborough in the Wellington region, Cooper is in his final year of a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in finance and Chinese language at the University of Otago.
Gauri Prabhakar – law and arts student at the University of Auckland
Gauri’s online internship will be at Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), from the end of November 2021 through to January 2022. HKIAC is one of the world’s leading dispute resolution institutions, specialising in arbitration, mediation, adjudication, and domain name disputes resolution. Gauri will work at HKIAC on a specific project relevant to her area of study. She is in her final year of a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Auckland.
Kahutapeka (Kahu) Tapsell-Bennett– psychology and business graduate and business management student (master’s) at the University of Auckland
Kahu will be interning at a Singaporean company pioneering cell-based seafood, Shiok Meats, another of the Foundation’s new hosts for 2021. The internship will run online from January to March 2022. Kahu will have the opportunity to conduct market research to support strategic business planning and product development and support the business department in strategising and implementing key projects. Originally from Rotorua, Kahu has a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Psychology (Massey University) and a Post Graduate Certificate in Business Studies (Auckland Institute of Technology). She is currently completing her Master’s in Business Management at the University of Auckland.
Kathleen Winter – director/documentarian
Kathleen’s internship at Singaporean screen organisation Beach House Pictures will be held online and will run from November 2021 through to the end of January 2022. In a unique partnership, Kathleen will work closely with Beach House Pictures development team and New Zealand screen company Doc Edge to brainstorm new ideas, answer pitch briefs, research and organise stories and write up documentary pitches for an international audience. Kathleen's documentary web-series 'Beyond White Guilt' was recently relaunched on The New Zealand Herald, and she is in post-production for her next documentary short 'Ultimately Lacks Polish', made for the Going West Writers Festival.
Holly Williamson – animal science graduate and science student (Master’s) at Massey University
From November 2021 through to January 2022, Holly will undertake an online internship at Nutrition Technologies, a Malaysian company focused on innovative use of insect protein. Holly will be support the research and development team on the product application strategy, as well as working on a project specific to her area of study. Holly has received a Bachelor of Science with a major in animal science and a minor in zoology and is currently completing her Master’s in Science (Massey University).
Montgomery Sykes – commerce graduate and software development student (postgrad) at Whitireia Polytechnic
Montgomery will be undertaking an online internship at Indian IT giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) from November 2021 through to January 2022. Montgomery will learn how TCS provides solutions to customers in the banking industry. The internship will develop his knowledge of how business requirements translate into technology needs and how to incorporate data into business decisions. Hailing from Napier, Montgomery has completed a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce (Victoria University of Wellington) and is in his first year of a Postgraduate Diploma in Software Development at Whitireia Polytechnic.
Luke Harfield – data science graduate and information technology student (Master’s) at Whitireia & Weltec New Zealand
Luke will also be interning online with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) from November 2021 through to January 2022. Luke will learn how TCS provides solutions to customers in the banking industry, and will build knowledge of how business requirements translate into technology needs and how to incorporate data into business decisions. Luke is from Waihi and has recently completed a Bachelor of Science majoring in data science (Victoria University of Wellington). He is currently studying towards his Master’s in Information Technology (Whitireia & Weltec New Zealand).
Jingshian Yong – law and business student at the University of Waikato
The Foundation has worked with TupuToa to place Jingshian with Microsoft. Her internship will take place at the Finance Hub at Microsoft NZ, with a focus on the Southeast Asia region. The internship will run from November 2021 through to February 2022. Jingshian will support the business controller on finance activities and driving the operational rhythms for the sales team. She will also engage in business outlook and performance monitoring and will provide support to local business partners. Jingshian is currently studying a joint Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Business degree at the University of Waikato.
Harmanpreet Kaur – business graduate from Auckland University of Technology
Harmanpreet will be interning at Chinese digital marketing and media company United Media Solution (UMS). This will be an online internship, running from November 2021 through to January 2022. Harmanpreet will have the opportunity to enhance her marketing research skills as well as gain an understanding of Chinese digital media. She has recently completed a Bachelor of Business, majoring in economics and international business, from Auckland University of Technology.
Ariana Marsden – politics and communications student at University of Otago
Ariana’s internship will also be at United Media Solution (UMS). This will be an online internship, running from November 2021 through to January 2022. Ariana will have the opportunity to enhance her marketing research skills as well as gain an understanding of Chinese digital media. Ariana is from Whakatane and is currently in her second year of a Bachelor of Arts double majoring in politics and communication at the University of Otago.
Philippa Elliffe – anthropology and Japanese graduate from the University of Auckland
Philippa will be interning at South Korean creative industries company CJ Cultural Foundation. This will be an online internship, running from January through to March 2022. Philippa will conduct market research on film and music industry relevant to the CJ Cultural Foundation’s work and monitor English media reporting and social media trends. Based in Ōamaru, Philippa has recently completed a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology and Japanese at the University of Auckland.
Holly Tudehope – politics and environmental management graduate from the University of Otago
Holly will also be interning at the CJ Cultural Foundation. This will be an online internship, running from January through to March 2022. Holly will conduct market research on film and music industry relevant to the CJ Cultural Foundation’s work. Holly has recently completed a Bachelor of Arts and Science, with a double major in politics and environmental management from the University of Otago.
Abby Jones – law and arts student from Victoria University of Wellington
Abby will be interning at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Hong Kong, one of the Foundation’s new hosts for the 2021 programme. The internship will be run online between November 2021 and February 2022. Abby will work on a joint work programme between the WWF Hong Kong and partners to deliver research on emerging trends and opportunities in regional financial crime investigations for the Asia Pacific Counter Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) Hub. She will also liaise with WWF’s networks on the development and promotion of other WWF initiatives and programmes with links to financial crime and illegal wildlife trade. Abby is a fourth year Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Arts student at Victoria University of Wellington.