Skilled graduates from Aotearoa New Zealand’s ethnic communities are being offered a meaningful first employment opportunity in the public service through the Ethnic Communities Graduate Programme.

The Programme directly addresses the low representation of ethnically diverse employees and the barriers they face to access employment in the public sector. It aims to achieve that by offering a targeted pathway into the public service, with the expected benefits of improving its representativeness and broadening its cultural competency.

Applications for the programme are now open and are welcome from graduates who:

  • Identify their ethnicity as Middle Eastern, Latin American, African, Asian, or Continental European; 
  • have obtained a qualification at the bachelor’s level in NZ or overseas within the last 2 years; 
  • have the right to live and work in New Zealand; and 
  • are looking for their first employment opportunity in the public service.

Selected graduates will enter Public Service agencies in two 18-month intakes, the first of which is scheduled to start in July 2021. Available roles will be focused on either public policy, policy-related functions, or the delivery of high-quality and efficient public services. It is anticipated that the positions will be mainly Wellington-based, with some positions located in Auckland and Christchurch.

Young graduates who come through this Programme will be set up to influence and drive change that directly affects ethnic communities and the whole of New Zealand society. 

Applications close at 5pm, Thursday 25 March 2021. 

More information, including how to apply, is available on the Office of Ethnic Communities website

Last modified: