What a start at Westpac can do for you
It's important we get the right person for the job, but it's equally important you feel that Westpac is the right place for you.
Benefits of the Westpac graduate programme include:
gaining practical business experience with a major corporate organisation- the ability to try different roles and flexibility to explore business areas you might not have considered
- comprehensive orientation, on-the-job training and access to both internal and external training courses to support your career goals
- having a manager who acts as a mentor and ensures you get the training and development support you need
- career development support-you may be able to further your study if you wish
- a competitive income and a number of staff benefits such as preferential banking packages and superannuation scheme
- some graduate positions based in more rural areas or other metropolitan areas other than Auckland, offering some opportunity for travel
- successfully completing the programme could lead to a permanent position
Who are we?
- Westpac has been a proud part of New Zealand history and community since 1861.
- over 1.2 million customers
- around 200 branches and 500 ATMs nationwide
- around 900,000 registered users of our Online Banking service - performing 3 million transactions online (June 2009)
- over 5,500 staff
- committed to social and environmental sustainability and engaging with our local communities and businesses
- supporting New Zealand communities through regional and national sponsorship

Create your journey - Our graduate programme
Institutional Bank - Financial Markets Programme
Receive a broad understanding of the responsibilities, challenges and functions within a financial markets business, to assist you in selecting a future career path within our Institutional Bank.
About Westpac Institutional Bank
Westpac Institutional Bank (WIB) services the financial needs of corporations, institutions and government clients based in, or having interests in, Australia and New Zealand.
WIB specialist industry teams work across these industries:
- Large corporates
- Financial institutions
- Health & Government
- Industrials & materials
- Infrastructure & utilities
- Corporate banking
Our dedicated industry teams are supported by specialised expertise in:
- Financial Markets
- Debt Capital Markets
- Corporate Finance
- Transactional Banking
An extensive network of branches and subsidiaries offers our clients support in the many geographical locations where they conduct their business. This extends beyond New Zealand and Australia, into the international markets of New York, London, Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong, with further representation in Thailand, Indonesia and China.
Our mission is to be our customers’ first choice by:
- Knowing our customers and anticipating their needs
- Delivering effective and consistently high quality solutions
What does the programme encompass:
You’ll receive experience and insight into our business, through a number of positions rotated throughout the programme:
- The number and nature of rotations will depend on your background and interest
- You’ll be based in Auckland or Wellington on the 12 month programme

Risk Programme
Westpac has a team of risk specialists dedicated to assisting the business in managing risk across the entire organisation.
About Risk in Westpac
At Westpac, risk is everyone’s business – whether you deal directly with customers or support customer facing roles. The range of decisions is enormous, from advising an employee about managing a project, or deciding whether to provide a customer with a home loan or raise concerns about suspected money laundering.
Whatever the situation, it is vital that every decision is appropriately made, well thought out, and takes into account all relevant factors and information. Not doing this can be costly to the bank both in dollar terms and reputation.
The 12 month programme is located in Auckland and is based on a three rotation structure including time in Risk Analytics, Recoveries and Asset Management, Operational Risk & Compliance and Retail and Business Credit.
What you will need to stand out:
Candidates will need a minimum of a Bachelors Degree - ideally in Finance, Economics or Law as well as strong aptitude in numeric reasoning and analytics.

Private, Wealth & Insurance Programme
The Private, Wealth & Insurance (PWI) business unit includes: Private Bank, Investment Advisory Service (Wealth), BT Funds Management NZ, and Insurance.
This graduate programme is designed to provide a broad understanding of the extensive responsibilities within the PWI business unit including exploring your financial planning skills, gaining a greater understanding of financial markets, developing your analytical skills, and building on your investment and insurance product knowledge.
Private, Wealth & Insurance incorporates three key businesses, they are:
- Investment Advisory Service: this business provides investment advice, Financial Planning, and investment solutions to enhance our customer’s financial future. The five key teams are:
- Investment Advisory: regional based investment specialists
- Operations, Products & Advice: including para-planning, research & development, and market analysis
- BTNZ - specialists in Managed Funds and Superannuation Plans.
- Private Bank: this business provides a relationship managed channel for our high net clients’ personal banking needs. This business also includes ‘Our Bank’, the recently refreshed banking channel for Westpac employees.
- Insurance: Westpac Life is a diverse business which provides actuarial, product management, underwriting claims and services to Westpac customers.
Qualifications:
Candidates will need a minimum of a Bachelors Degree in Finance, Business, or Economics.

Recent Grads
Hayley Sutcliffe – Customer & Technology Services Graduate
I started on the CTS Graduate Programme at the beginning of 2009 after studying a Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS) at the University of Waikato with a double major in Finance and Economics.
A major draw card for the Westpac Grad programme was the opportunity to explore different functions of a bank, and my two years on the CTS Grad programme delivered the variety I was after. In my first year I was part of the Simplification Team (process improvement), Infrastructure Services (the communicators between IT and the business) and the CTS Internal Communications team. I spent my final year of the grad programme on one of Westpac's strategic priority projects, Linc NZ, which gave me exposure to the Project Management world and the importance of Westpac's relationship with the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.
I've found one of the real benefits to the Westpac Grad Programme is the exposure graduates have to senior leaders. Day one on the job I was paired with a mentor who coached and pushed me to be the best. Although I'm no longer a grad the personal development and learning opportunities haven't ceased. Ensuring that the bank has effective future leaders for Westpac is something the bank takes seriously and I've experienced this first hand. I'm involved in a new initiative GENW; a group of 15 young future leaders from across the business pulled together to develop leadership skills and provide fresh ideas and innovative thinking to the way Westpac does banking. We have attended Westpac's strategy conferences, senior leader briefings and have had a leadership session with All Blacks captain Richie McCaw...something to tick off the bucket list!
As cliché as it sounds, the people you work with really makes a difference. The culture in CTS is infectious, I love working in a team who are passionate about delivering a positive experience for our customers. At times the work can be really challenging, so working with people who have the same values and are driven to achieve the same goal is encouraging.
Since finishing the programme I have taken a role as a Project Manager within IT Solutions Delivery. I am still working on Linc NZ, but am involved with other projects such as the annual Westpac Chopper Appeal and Technology Innovation. It's great because the variety offered to me as a graduate hasn't been lost!

Westpac's Culture

Westpac has made a public commitment to measuring and improving our impact in far more than just financial performance.
Help is what we do. We are heavily involved in the local community, and speak to any Westpac staff member and they will tell you how passionate they are about make a difference.
Westpac gives its people the opportunity to volunteer in their community by providing them with a paid days leave each year to get involved.
We are also national sponsors of the Westpac rescue helicopter services across the country where last year we raised over 1 million dollars through donations and fundraising initiatives.
Westpac was quickly into action following the Christchurch earthquakes and showed its support to the people of Christchurch and to the local community by launching a number of initiatives to support businesses affected by the quakes. The Westpac Business and Community Hub remains open for Christchurch businesses and community groups significantly impacted by the quakes.
We are key sponsors of the Sir Peter Blake Trust which aims to help New Zealanders make a positive difference to the planet and the Halberg Trust which aims to honour sporting excellence and provide opportunities for disabled people to be active.
Here at Westpac we work hard, but there is a fantastic social culture too! There are always a number of events to get involved in from “Takutai Idol” to Round the Bays and a number of local and team events.
Westpac is so much more than a bank – we are a team of passionate and motivated employees making the most out of life.
