How the Career and Industry Insights Programme led to an internship at Heartland

"While at university, I was lucky enough to connect with Jo McNaughton, Pouārahi Kaupapa Māori at Heartland, through the Career and Industry Insights Programme at the University of Auckland Business School. Jo introduced me to the Manawa Ako programme at Heartland.

"Manawa Ako is a six-week paid internship programme. The programme has been built on the Māori concept of ‘ako’, which means to teach and to learn. It was created to help bridge the gap for rangatahi by providing an opportunity to gain experience in the corporate world, and to allow Heartland to learn from the rangatahi participating in the internship. This is important as there is a major underrepresentation of Māori in the banking and financial sector. Additionally, the Māori community can be better served and supported when organisations have a greater understanding of the particular needs and struggles faced by Māori.

"The programme commenced in 2017 with ten interns. Now, 74 young Māori have completed the programme, several of whom have gone on to full-time or part-time roles at Heartland."

"During my time at Heartland, I was able to work across two teams: the Shared Services team and the People and Culture team. I was able to learn from team members, jump on a variety of projects and learn new things. Through my involvement, I was able to voice my opinion, develop new skills and make an impact through my work. Both teams were incredibly welcoming and always open to helping me learn. To assist in our professional and personal development, as well as our journey in the finance industry, workshops were held throughout the programme. This allowed us to develop a greater understanding of the industry and helped inspire and motivate our growth.

"For me, my journey at Heartland wasn't just for career development, but to reconnect with my Māori heritage. Growing up, I didn't have the chance to learn about by Māori roots, but Heartland allowed me to be surrounded by young Māori individuals and to learn about my history. Heartland not only welcomes diversity but embraces it.

"I will always remember my journey with Heartland and would certainly return for another internship. It was great for helping me develop new skills and put what I learnt at university into practice. If it hadn't been for the Career and Industry Insights Programme at the University of Auckland Business School, I would never have connected with Jo, and been encouraged to apply for the Manawa Ako programme. I'd encourage all business students to get involved in programmes like the Career and Industry Insights Programme - you never know who you might meet!"