Student internships @ AIA NZ

Māori and Pacific people make up a quarter of Aotearoa’s population, and yet they remain proportionately underrepresented in corporate workplaces.

One way AIA NZ is working to change this is through our exciting new partnership with TupuToa, who provide professional paid internship opportunities for Māori and Pacific tertiary students.

At the end of last year we warmly welcomed Lito Bernard-Kauhega and Donald Heimuli to the AIA whānau on 12-week internships. Lito joined our award-winning Marketing team, and Donald our Technology Security team, learning how to keep our systems, processes and data safe.

“Coming into this internship with small amount of experience I didn’t have the confidence at first, but once I got involved - and with the help of my manager - I gained confidence to demonstrate what I learnt from my studies,” says Donald.

“I am truly blessed to have worked for AIA NZ. I had amazing colleagues with a good vibe that made me feel welcome, and made my journey enjoyable and memorable.”

Lito agreed. “I had limited knowledge of the insurance world; however I was excited to embrace this industry and learn as much as I could during my placement. Everyone was super welcoming and offered awesome advice. This really helped me grow as a professional as I was comfortable enough to offer ideas and recommendations confidently.”

“My experience working with AIA NZ has taught me a lot about myself - not only as a professional, but it also helped me to realise the true importance of my health and wellbeing. I have a newfound appreciation of this as AIA makes taking care of ourselves a priority.”

We look forward to continuing our partnership with TupuToa, and furthering our AIA NZ intern community. Best of luck to Lito and Donald for completing their studies, and thanks for all your awesome mahi!