The interns have been placed in companies in China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam
Twenty-one New Zealand students and recent graduates are about to embark on internships throughout Asia to learn how business is done there.
The Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono has been offering business internships since 2009 and is continually growing the range of opportunities to keep up with today’s business needs and Asia’s exciting, diverse industries.
The opportunities are at some of Asia’s top companies, and vary from tax, accounting and engineering to digital marketing, blockchain and space technology.
The interns have been placed in companies in China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
The internships, ranging from six weeks to three months long, give young people a chance to be immersed in an Asian business culture and industry sector, developing valuable work skills for their futures.
The expenses-paid internships are highly sought after, with more than 550 applications for the 21 internship places.
Asia New Zealand Foundation business director Felicity Roxburgh says she was excited to see young people at the beginning of their careers heading off to Asia.
“We know from experience that these internships have the potential to change the course of people’s lives and careers, so it’s so exciting to see them off on that adventure.”
Research carried out by the Foundation consistently shows that New Zealanders learn the most about Asian places and peoples when they travel. Work placements can offer an even more meaningful insight into those cultures.
“For many young New Zealanders, their future work and lives will be connected with Asia in countless ways – so gaining cultural insights at this early stage will be very beneficial for them,” says Roxburgh.
Some interns have already started work, and others will be leaving between now and February 2020. A full list of interns, backgrounds and placements is provided below.
For more information or photos:
Tessa Johnstone
Communications Adviser
Find out about the interns
Anna French, Commerce student at Lincoln University
Anna will intern at ANZCO Foods in Taipei, Taiwan from December 2019 to February 2020. Anna has just completed a degree in supply chain management and global business. She will be working on administration, research and analysis of ANZCO’s supply chain. Her passion for teaching, entrepreneurship and problem-solving has led her to engage in education both as a learner and teacher in New Zealand and abroad.
Meghan Price, Communications student at Massey University
Meghan will intern at United Media Solution (UMS) in Shanghai, China from December 2019 to February 2020 working on online marketing and promoting commercial New Zealand brands to Chinese audiences through digital platforms such as Wechat. Meghan has been working in Melbourne for the past year while she had a break from her degree.
Parneet Kohli, Engineering student at University of Auckland
Parneet will intern at Beca in Jakarta, Indonesia from January 2020 to March 2020. Parneet was born in India and moved to New Zealand with his family when he was four years old. He has had a passion for engineering from a young age as he would take things apart and learn how they work, further pursuing STEM subjects throughout school.
Annabelle Blue, Law and Commerce student at University of Auckland
Annabelle will intern at CJ Cultural Foundation in Seoul, South Korea from December 2019 to February 2020. She will be conducting market research, communication with overseas institutions, assist with on and offsite events, assist cultural and social events in cooperation with the project manager. Annabelle has been actively involved in the cultural arts, from dancing to drama performances.
Ankita Singh, Marketing intern at Indian Ink Theatre Company
Ankita will intern at CJ Cultural Foundation in Seoul, South Korea from December 2019 to February 2020. She will be conducting market research, communication with overseas institutions, assist with on and offsite events, assist cultural and social events in cooperation with the project manager. Ankita is of South Asian descent and originally from Chandigarh, India. She migrated with her family to Kirikiriroa in 2003.
George Lello, Litigation Solicitor at Duncan Cotterill, Auckland
George will intern at Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre in 2020. George is a litigation solicitor with two years of experience and is currently working at Duncan Cotterill’s Auckland office in the dispute resolution team. His current workload consists largely of insurance, construction and general civil litigation work. George has travelled in Asia and understands the region's importance as well as the role of international arbitration in Hong Kong.
Arjun Prakash, Software engineering student at the University of Sydney
Arjun will intern at Mitsubishi Electric R&D Centre in Kamakura, Japan from December 2019 to February 2020. He will be working on Time Series Data Analysis. Arjun has applied his craft to financial time series, academic literature and the All Blacks. He is excited to start work at Mitsubishi Electric R&D Centre and experience Japan for the first time.
Mikhael Sayat, Mechatronics Engineering and Physics student at the University of Auckland
Mikhael will intern at Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) in Si Racha, Thailand from February to March 2020. Mikhael will be working on projects in Space Situational Awareness as well as some projects on Satellite Operations. He is passionate about all things space such as astronomy, astrophysics, and space systems. Mikhael migrated to New Zealand from the Philippines when he was 7 years old.
Ethan Laby, Accounting student at University of Canterbury
Ethan will intern at KPMG in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from December 2019 to February 2020 working in Tax Function – Integrated International Tax Department. He is interested in further developing his understanding of different religions and cultures, particularly in Asia, through a business lens to understand how different countries conduct business. In his spare time he loves to bake and is currently on The Great Kiwi Bake Off Season 2.
Keeley Farrell, Commerce student at Victoria University of Wellington
Keeley will intern at KPMG in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from December to February 2020 working in the Audit department. Keely is from Wellington and is very excited to be heading to Asia for the first time. She has just finished her second year of a degree in Accounting, Taxation and Commercial law. She is a keen skier, rower, coach and love performing arts too.
Tim Marshall, Commerce student at University of Canterbury
Tim will intern at Taiwan – USA Industrial cooperation Promotion office (TUSA) in Taipei, Taiwan from November 2019 to February 2020. He will be conducting market research, facilitating and strengthening relationships between international investors and companies in Taiwan.
Rhys Fitzgerald, Mechatronics Engineering student at University of Canterbury
Rhys will intern at Nutrition Technologies in Johor, Malaysia from February 2020 to April 2020. He grew up in rural Canterbury and loved working on machinery and projects in his spare time. In high school, he visited Japan on an exchange and loved it. Ever since, Rhys has been looking for opportunities to get back to Asia, taking both his engineering and agricultural background into the wider world.
Nina Hardie, Arts and Law student at University of Canterbury
Nina will intern at Kyushu Railway Company in Fukuoka, Japan from May 2020 to June 2020. She will be working on administration, research and analysis. Currently Nina is studying on exchange at the University of Copenhagen. For five years she worked at WH Accounting & Advisory assisting both Japanese and New Zealand clients, and over the last two summers worked at two large New Zealand law firms. Nina has a strong passion for music which has led her to play in the New Zealand Youth Orchestra and teach piano and cello.
Anna Moore-Jones, Arts and Law student at Victoria University of Wellington
Anna will intern at NZ Consulate-General in Chengdu, China from February 2020 to May 2020. She will assist the Consul-General and Deputy Consul-General; plan and manage small, targeted cultural and social events; and monitor English-language media, social media trends and academic papers/research on Southwest China issues relevant to the Consulate’s work.
Harrigan Davenport, Applied Finance and economics student, University of Canterbury
Harrigan will intern at Infinity Blockchain Ventures in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from February 2020 to April 2020. Harrigan will learn about blockchain technology and how it is used for business solutions. He is interested in FinTech and emerging technologies, as this allows him to merge his knowledge from both Computer Science and Economics. Harrigan was also lived in Suva, Fiji for most of his high school studies.
Michael Freeman, Software engineering student, University of Canterbury
Michael will intern at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Mumbai, India from January 2020 to February 2020. He will be working on IT consultancy work experience and corporate social responsibility internship programme. Michael was born in Coventry, UK and emigrated with his family when he was 3 to Dunedin, where he grew up. He is passionate about travelling and loves trying new things and putting himself out there.
Jack Baucke, Information Science and Computer Science student, University of Otago
Jack will intern at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Mumbai, India from January 2020 to February 2020. He will be working on IT consultancy work experience and corporate social responsibility internship programme. Jack has been fascinated by computers and how they worked. He took that drive to where he is today pursuing a degree in this field.
Klara Klippel, Business Graduate at Fonterra
Klara will intern at APEC Secretariat in Singapore from February to April 2020. Klara is currently working at Fonterra’s trade strategy team since May 2019, and has gained an understanding of trade policy and its business application. Klara is particularly interested in understanding how trade can help further equal opportunities for women and address environmental concerns. Being part of a global company has introduced her to the exciting opportunities in Asia and she is looking forward to exploring the culture and all Singapore has to offer during her time at APEC.
Faafetai Malolo, Finance Graduate, Whitireia Polytechnic
Faafetai will intern at Tata Consultancy Services in Mumbai, India from January to February 2020. She will be working on a project to provide technology solutions for Tata’s Westpac team. Faafetai was born and raised in Samoa, and says she has a huge desire see and experience different cultures around the world.
Katie Harris, Multimedia Journalist at Newstalk
Katie will intern at ACICIS in Indonesia from January 2020 to February 2020. She has recently completed a post-graduate diploma in journalism at the University of Canterbury, and took the DW Bain prize for top student. This year, alongside her studies and reporting work, she was the editor of the first two editions of Yo, Vocal magazine. Katie is interested in Asian news and current affairs and hopes to do more work in Asia.
Michael Andrew, Contributing Editor at Pacific Media Centre
Michael will intern at ACICIS in Indonesia from January 2020 to February 2020. Michael has just completed his postgraduate diploma in journalism at AUT, where he also held a position as contributing editor for the Pacific Media Centre. Michael cares deeply about environmental sustainability, social equality, indigenous and women’s rights and he has tried to advocate for this in his writing.