Matthew
Culture and Transformation Graduate
I was born in Auckland and have lived here ever since - I did live in Australia temporarily but my parents moved us back to NZ for work. I’m full Samoan but most of my family are scattered throughout Australia and US.
My studies
I’ve graduated with a BA majoring in Psychology and Social Science of Public Health at UoA.
My pathway
I had been job hunting after I’ve finished up my last semester and applied for AT’s grad programme through Seek. After going through each recruitment phase, I received a call offering me a position.
Why Auckland Transport
I’m an avid user of public transport! Other than that, I thought it would be a good way for me to expand my career into government and what the grad programme had to offer aligned perfectly with what I was looking for in a job.
My favourite part of Nga Kaihoe
The culture, the people, the work – being a part of Nga Kaihoe is like being a part of a family. The other grads are awesome and everyone’s incredibly intelligent, it pushes me to want to be better and to work harder, but the culture and the environment we’ve fostered is what really keeps me going.
My opportunities
Currently, I’m in C&T (our equivalent to HR), so some of the projects we’ve been working on can range from initiatives and strategies to process optimisation and organizational revisions. I’m also doing a placement in BT (our IT department), helping our commercial team with the software and licensing agreements that sit behind the technology that AT uses.
My favourite AT value
Tiakitanga – Safe with Us. AT has a culture of inclusion and its shown time and time again whenever I meet someone new, people are comfortable bringing their whole selves to work and there’s zero-tolerance for discrimination or prejudice.
My advice for graduates to Ngā Kaihoe
Don’t be afraid to try something new! You won’t know you like something until you try it, and if you don’t try it, you’ll never know that you like it. Even if you fail, no one’s perfect – don’t beat yourself up over mistakes you’ve made, take them in stride and use them as lessons learnt.