Our Graduate Programme

We’re looking for graduates who truly want to make the world a better place and believe they have what it takes to do this. 

Our established Graduate Programme  is supported by a comprehensive professional and personal development plan including leadership training, mentoring and special projects. As a Waste Management Graduate, you’ll be a permanent employee on an accelerated career path.

We have two Graduate streams, Generalist Leadership and Specialist Leadership. 

The Generalist Leadership stream includes work placements and is designed to give you a good understanding of the industry, allowing you to move into operational people leadership roles.

The Specialist Leadership stream will provide you an opportunity to gain a wealth of experience over a two-year period within a specialised function, allowing you to move into specialised leadership roles.

Waste Management is New Zealand's leading resource recovery, recycling and waste management provider, driven by our focus on safety, sustainability and service and underpinned by innovation.

We are turning waste back into valuable resources through advanced recovery, recycling and reuse at the same time as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting the environment. We provide recycling and resource recovery services, solid waste management, liquid and hazardous waste collection, treatment and disposal. We design and operate state-of-the-art waste management and recycling facilities nationwide, including leading edge sustainable, modern landfill and energy parks, material recovery facilities, transfer stations and liquid, hazardous and medical waste processing facilities.

We will continue to set the bar high with environmentally sustainable technology, showcasing modern sustainable waste management best practice and developing methods to promote more recycling.

We understand that our biggest asset is our people and we’re committed to their safety and wellbeing.  We’re a company where every day our people get to make a difference – whether this be through exploring recycling opportunities, looking at new ways to create energy from waste, or delivering a great customer service to building facilities that will last a lifetime. 

We work with a diverse range of customers, from residential homes and small businesses, through to large multinational commercial and industrial clients that span almost every industry in New Zealand. We’re proud to offer a comprehensive range of services that can be tailored to meet the needs of our customers.

Our focus is on the future, the possibilities it holds, and ultimately the protection of it.

Our people are resourceful and pragmatic, and take personal responsibility for the excellent service we deliver to our customers.  As a team, we’re committed to getting it right the first time and we provide the tools to help our people do just that. 

The way we operate is a source of pride and passion for our people, and that attitude helps us meet the challenge of managing New Zealand’s waste every day.

Our values aren’t just high-brow statements on a wall.  They guide how we behave as individuals on a day-to-day basis.  They’re the sum of our shared experiences and ambition as a company, and we live by them. After all, it’s the shared vision of the entire Waste Management team that defines the company.