Z Energy's graduate programme is lifting up young Kiwi
April 30, 2025
Z Energy’s (Z) graduate programme gives five young Kiwi the chance to kick-start their career, hone their skills and grow their knowledge as they delve into every part of the organisation. And while the initiative requires significant investment from Z, it’s one they believe will bring big returns – not just for Z but for New Zealand’s future workforce.
“We see the graduate programme as part of our commitment to Aotearoa,” says Z’s CFO Nicola Law, who helps lead the programme. “We are a big corporate, we’re a great employer and we should be providing opportunities for our youth coming out of university, otherwise where are they supposed to go?”
It’s a stance that Z thinks many corporate organisations in New Zealand should take. “We know we won’t necessarily keep our own grads for a decade or two – it’s unrealistic to expect that – but we may well take someone else’s graduate, and they may take ours, so we see it as a rising tide that lifts all boats.”
So what makes a great graduate, and how does the selection process work?
Now in its second year, the programme saw a whopping 500 newly graduated students from a range of disciplines apply for roles. That number was whittled down through various stages, and while the applicants were all academically excellent, Nicola says ultimately Z was looking for people with a great values fit.
“We bring the final 20 into Z to spend a day with us and it’s an interview process for them too. They meet with our senior leaders and find out what we’re all about. Then they have a problem-solving session within a team and we look at how they approach working with others, how they distill information quickly, and how they navigate through obstacles. It’s all about their mindset really, which is something you can’t test for on paper.”
Z's selection process for the programme was even recognised as a finalist in the best Candidate Experience category at the New Zealand Association of Graduate Employers (NZAGE) Awards – a valued acknowledgement of the process we’ve built.
Having a great attitude and being open and curious is key because Z offers a generalist programme that sees the graduates rotate through the business. “We say to them, ‘For two years we’ll give you lots of different experiences. We’ll put you in high vis and steel caps so you can go out and see what we do when we’re managing our fuel terminals; you’ll spend time at our retail sites, interacting with our customers and learning about the issues our site staff face; and we’ll get you into the big corporate wheel house that is head office,’” explains Nicola. “By the end they’ll understand most parts of the business, and they might decide that it’s not for them and that’s OK. They’ll still have learnt a lot about themselves in the process and gained valuable experience.”
As well as providing an incredible learning opportunity, Z makes sure the perks are pretty good too. Early on in the programme the grads get flown to Sydney, where they meet with counterparts from the wider team, have a professional development session and find time for plenty of fun too.
Z also goes out of its way to make sure the programme actually responds to the needs of young Kiwi. “One of our graduates asked us if they’d still be able to go on an OE,” says Nicola. “We figured there are probably lots of grads who want to do that, so we built it into the programme. Our graduates can take six months of unpaid leave and we’ll hold their place open for them. If they’re really right for us, we don’t want them to feel they have to give this up. In fact, we want to attract people who are curious about the world.”
While the programme is designed to provide a great start for these graduates, Nicola says they also bring a lot to the table. “It’s not just us giving them opportunities, we learn a lot from them too. They think about things very differently and they come in with fresh eyes and a different mindset which we really value.”
Here’s what the grads have to say:
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On the diverse range of opportunities, Carissa, a law and commerce graduate from Victoria University of Wellington, says: “I’ve really enjoyed all the opportunities to get out of the office and go see things in real life, like visiting the terminal and visiting retail sites – and the trip to Sydney. It was a really cool opportunity that most people probably don’t get so early into their grad jobs.”
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Of the exposure to senior leaders, Callum, a commerce graduate from University of Canterbury, says: “It’s my first time in a corporate job so it’s really cool to see how people work together and collaborate. I sat in on a Q2 prioritisation meeting and everyone argued why their initiative should be a priority. They weren’t shouting or getting mad at each other, it was all really constructive and it was cool to see how people work together.”
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Of the mentorship, Poppy, a commerce graduate from University of Otago, says: “Having a mentor means I get someone who can share their experiences at Z and their advice with me. They also challenge me to think about what I want to get out of this programme and help me set my goals. But everyone is so welcoming and lovely. It’s a really good culture here. I feel excited to come to work every day.”
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As for the future, Jacob, a graduate student from University of Canterbury, says: “The programme has shown me that I’m not limited. There are so many people who started in one place and are now in another, so you can see how people progress throughout the organisation. Hearing that Lindis Jones, Z’s CEO, was once a graduate at Shell – it just shows that anything can happen and there’s no limits to where we could go.”