Working in New Zealand is a dream of many international students, and they are not alone. Across its North and South Islands, the country offers career opportunities that are as incredible as its famous scenery, attracting applicants on a global scale. With major companies in engineering, finance and more ready to hire bright graduates from around the world, it could well be the place for you. Wherever you are in your working life, start exploring your options in the country with our guide to the top employers in New Zealand.
Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand)
With an estimated 80,000 employees, Health New Zealand is New Zealand's biggest employer. Formed in 2022 to replace an existing regionalised system, this publicly funded organisation provides free healthcare to the entire country. Clearly, this is a big job, and it requires a lot of medical experts.
New employees are needed all the time, whether they are fresh graduates, or arrivals from other countries. This is evident in the fact that a large number of healthcare roles appear on the country's Green List of in-demand jobs, making them a fast track to a Residence Visa. According to New Zealand Immigration, there are more than twenty roles for which the country is most keen to find candidates, including doctor, nurse and midwife.
Xero
One of the most successful companies established in New Zealand in recent years, Xero provides accounting software to small businesses everywhere. With around 5,000 employees worldwide, its headquarters remain in its home country's capital, Wellington.
The company's graduate scheme is split into two streams. For software and data analytics specialists, there is the technical programme, while those with an interest in user experience can apply for the design programme. The latter offers hands-on involvement in the look and feel of Xero's products, meaning that you could soon be contributing directly to the satisfaction of millions of customers.
The value of both programmes is underlined by the fact that Xero rates as the best graduate technology employer in New Zealand, according to a ranking compiled by the careers service Prosple. Over the course of a year, they will build your experience across various business areas, and lead you to a guaranteed full-time role. What's more, you don't even need a degree to apply – self-taught ability is valued.
Aurecon
This engineering giant is New Zealand's best graduate employer, according to Prosple. That makes it the first choice of many STEM graduates, all keen to join its 900 staff in the country. The highly regarded Aurecon graduate scheme enables them to do this, promising close and transformative support at the start of their career.
While the company is most keen to hire engineering graduates – whatever their specialism – it also welcomes holders of degrees in various other subjects. These could be highly relevant fields such as town planning, or even communications and marketing. Staff are needed throughout the business' operations.
Fonterra
In a country with more cattle than people – around 10 million in total – it is perhaps no surprise that the biggest company is a dairy producer. Indeed, Fonterra is one of the very biggest dairy businesses worldwide. That makes it one of New Zealand's top employers, and a key part of its success as the world's number one exporter of milk.
More than 12,000 people in the country work for Fonterra in a broad range of capacities, with over 1,000 hired in each of the past two years. For those early in their career, the company offers internships, apprenticeships, traineeships, and three different graduate programmes. The latter are open to students of an array of subjects, with two programmes dedicated to graduates in STEM and agriculture.
ANZ
The local arm of this international financial services group is New Zealand's biggest bank, employing around 8,000 people in the country. That makes it one of the most well-known brands nationally, and one of the most desired destinations for graduates.
Holders of degrees in subjects such as finance and accounting are especially well placed to find a home at ANZ, but the company is also keen to hire people from a variety of educational backgrounds. Their graduate programme places no restriction on what applicants can have studied, with a diversity of experience sought for its institutional and digital banking pathways. However, you will need to be either a citizen or permanent resident of New Zealand or Australia.
If you are not, don't worry. ANZ advertises many more roles besides its graduate programme that are open to all. Plus, with it being a multinational organisation, you could also find a place in one of its other divisions first. Alternatively, you could apply for the graduate schemes at other banks and financial institutions. The Bank of New Zealand and FNZ, for example, are open to applications regardless of your nationality.
Air New Zealand
Good international travel links are essential for an island country like New Zealand, thousands of kilometres from its nearest neighbours. In fact, this isolation creates opportunity for the country to operate a successful aviation industry. Recognising this, the government recently published an aerospace strategy, with the goal of pushing the sector ever further forward.
As a company majority-owned by the government, Air New Zealand is central to this. The national airline has almost 11,500 employees, with most of them based inside the country. Collectively, they take on the big responsibility of transporting people around the world, and this requires them to have all kinds of interests and talents. So, if you have a love for complex logistics, or knowledge of aeronautical engineering, you could be well suited.
Of course, one of the benefits of working for a global airline is that you may not be restricted to working in one place. Depending on your job role, New Zealand could just be a stop on your journey, rather than a destination.
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare
It might not be the most familiar name on this list, but Fisher & Paykel Healthcare is one of New Zealand's most successful businesses. The company designs and makes vital healthcare equipment that is exported around the world, focusing particularly on products that aid the respiratory system. With 90 years of history, it today employs almost 3,000 people in its home country.
Graduates are welcomed to its Auckland headquarters regardless of their study subject. The company wants talented people to work across its operations. You could have a degree in product design, digital marketing, or medicine – in each case, there may be a place for you on the Fisher & Paykel graduate programme.
Atlassian
While these software pioneers are among the top employers in New Zealand, they will not restrict you to just one country. As befits a company that develops products to enable hybrid working for organisations around the world, Atlassian runs its own Team Anywhere policy. Under this, employees are encouraged to work wherever they feel comfortable, and given strong support to do so.
The company seeks early career applicants across a range of business areas, including software engineering, data science and content design. You could be based in New Zealand, or any of the 12 other countries in which Atlassian operates. No matter where you are, you could become part of a passionate network of like-minded people, working on powerful project management services such as Confluence and Jira.
Now that we've introduced you to the top employers in New Zealand, it might be time to explore the steps you can take towards working for them. Begin with our guide to the country's best universities. Then, learn how to find a graduate career in New Zealand, and how to apply for a post-study visa. If you'd like to look elsewhere, discover the top employers around the world.
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