Seven UC students and grads to learn how Asia does business

A third of the 21 New Zealand students and recent graduates embarking on internships to learn how Asia does business are from the University of Canterbury.

The Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono business internships offer opportunities at some of Asia’s top companies, and vary from tax, accounting and engineering to digital marketing, blockchain and space technology.

The internships, ranging from six weeks to three months long, give young people a chance to be immersed in an Asian business culture and industry sector, which builds valuable work skills for their futures.

The expenses-paid internships are highly sought after, with more than 550 applications for the 21 places. Some interns have already started work, and others will be leaving between now and February 2020.

The seven UC student and recent graduate interns are:

Ethan Laby, UC Accounting student

Ethan will intern at KPMG in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from December 2019 to February 2020 working in Tax Function – Integrated International Tax Department. He is interested in further developing his understanding of different religions and cultures, particularly in Asia, through a business lens to understand how different countries conduct business. In his spare time he loves to bake and is currently on TV in The Great Kiwi Bake Off Season 2.

Tim Marshall, UC Commerce student

Tim will intern at Taiwan – USA Industrial Cooperation Promotion Office (TUSA) in Taipei, Taiwan, from November 2019 to February 2020. He will be conducting market research, facilitating and strengthening relationships between international investors and companies in Taiwan.

Rhys Fitzgerald, UC Mechatronics Engineering student

Rhys will intern at Nutrition Technologies in Johor, Malaysia, from February 2020 to April 2020. He grew up in rural Canterbury and loved working on machinery and projects in his spare time. In high school, he visited Japan on an exchange and loved it. Ever since, Rhys has been looking for opportunities to get back to Asia, taking both his engineering and agricultural background into the wider world.

Nina Hardie, UC Arts and Law student

Nina will intern at Kyushu Railway Company in Fukuoka, Japan from May 2020 to June 2020. She will be working on administration, research and analysis. Currently Nina is studying on exchange at the University of Copenhagen. For five years she worked at WH Accounting & Advisory assisting both Japanese and New Zealand clients, and over the last two summers worked at two large New Zealand law firms. Nina has a strong passion for music which has led her to play in the New Zealand Youth Orchestra and teach piano and cello.

Harrigan Davenport, UC Applied Finance and Economics student

Harrigan will intern at Infinity Blockchain Ventures in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from February 2020 to April 2020. Harrigan will learn about blockchain technology and how it is used for business solutions. He is interested in FinTech and emerging technologies, as this allows him to merge his knowledge from both Computer Science and Economics. Harrigan lived in Suva, Fiji for most of his high school studies.

Michael Freeman, UC Software Engineering student

Michael will intern at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Mumbai, India from January 2020 to February 2020. He will be working on IT consultancy work experience and corporate social responsibility internship programme. Michael was born in Coventry, UK and emigrated with his family when he was three to Dunedin, where he grew up. He is passionate about travelling and loves trying new things and putting himself out there.

Katie Harris, multimedia journalist at NewstalkZB, UC Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism graduate

Katie will intern at ACICIS in Indonesia from January 2020 to February 2020. She has recently completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism (PGDipJ) at the University of Canterbury, and took the DW Bain prize for top journalism student. This year, alongside her studies and reporting work, she was the editor of the first two editions of Yo, Vocal magazine. Katie is interested in Asian news and current affairs and hopes to do more work in Asia. Katie is graduating in the December 2019 graduation ceremony on Friday 20 December in the Christchurch Town Hall.

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