Grad and intern hero

Kick start your career in the Energy sector!

Explore opportunities for graduates, summer interns and apprentices

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Engineering graduate programme Trade apprenticeship programme Summer internships

How can you work with us?

Kickstart your career in the electricity industry with our intern, apprenticeship, and graduate programmes. Gain on-the-job experience with New Zealand’s largest energy generator, creating 100% renewable energy from wind, water and sun. We believe diversity benefits us all and are a Gender Tick and Accessibility Tick accredited organisation. We’re all about creating a positive, high performing workplace culture that truly cares about its people and community, so why not join us?

Meridian Energy Hydro Station

Engineering graduate programme

If you’ve graduated in the last few years or are in your final year studying engineering, we’d love to help kick-start your career with experience in the electricity industry. We typically have graduate roles in our mechanical, electrical, civil or automation (mechatronics) teams but there may occasionally be opportunities in other teams/disciplines (i.e. data/software engineering).

Our graduate programme offers: 

  • an individual development plan tailored to you 
  • on-the-job training, mentoring and support 
  • the chance to work with leading engineers in world-class renewable assets 
  • rotations across our main sites in Wellington, Christchurch and Twizel 
  • contribution to your last year’s university fees. 

Since this is a permanent role, towards the end of your three-year rotation we’ll work with you on where you’d like to be placed permanently. 

How to apply

For our graduate programme, we typically hire directly from our intern pool. However, vacancies can become available any time throughout the year, so keep an eye out on our current vacancies list.

Current vacancies
Meridian Energy staff at a hydro power plant

Trade apprenticeship programme 

Here at Meridian, we know how vital it is to upskill the young people of Aotearoa and pass our knowledge and skills on to future generations. We have an amazing Apprentice Programme that allows an opportunity for students who have completed a pre-trade to gain their qualification in either Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering trades. Meridian will support and mentor you with your study while also teaching you everything you need to know about our iconic wind or hydro assets!  
 
Over your three-year journey, you will rotate to a new site each year so that you can work on a variety of tasks and have exposure to different teams and environments within Meridian. You will attend block courses with your ITO, go on external placements to sign off some of your units and complete Health and Safety competency training that’s required for our sites. You’ll also help us encourage young people into the industry by leading school students around our sites and be involved in our sponsorship programmes. You’ll get stuck into some pretty awesome projects in some amazing locations while soaking up all the information that our team can’t wait to pass on to you! 

How to apply

If you are ready to kick start a career in your chosen trade and would love to work for New Zealand’s largest renewable energy generator, then keep an eye out for apprentice opportunities on our current vacancies list, especially around August-September. You can also get in touch with us to find out more.

Current vacancies

Girls With Hi-Vis

Check out our video about Girls With Hi-Vis, an event we get behind every year. It’s about educating young women to show them what it’s like to work in engineering and trades – and the paths they need to take to get there.

Summer internships

Working as a summer intern is a great way of working towards potentially securing a graduate position with Meridian. If you’re studying engineering and in your second-to-last year, this is the programme for you.

Our summer internships give you a taste of what it’s like to work at Meridian. The programme runs from mid-November to mid-February and we hire a number of interns each year to work across our main sites. These are in Wellington, Christchurch and Twizel.

As a summer intern, you’ll be active in all aspects of the company. The programme will push you to develop real life business and technical skills.

How to apply

Keep an eye out for applications on our current vacancies list around July each year. Also look out for Meridian at your next University Career Event and have a chat with some of the team including previous grad/interns that still work here at Meridian!

Current vacancies

Meet some of our grads and apprentices

  • Divya Patel - Graduate Electrical Engineer

    "I joined Meridian's graduate program with a clear goal of gaining site work experience. During my first year in Twizel, I got to work on our incredible Waitaki Valley hydro assets then I moved on to North Island wind assets going forward. I've been involved in diverse asset maintenance projects on both hydro and wind sites located across the nation. This provided me great opportunity to collaborate and learn from wider Meridian team. Alongside my project work, I've received an excellent support for improving my technical skills and professional growth. Besides work, I've connected with amazing individuals who inspires me every day. Meridian is perfect fit for anyone passionate about renewable power generation assets and new technologies, as they're leading the way in innovative renewable power generation technologies."

  • Fiona Hamilton - Mechanical Engineering Graduate

    "Both the Internship and Graduate Program at Meridian Energy has given me numerous amazing opportunities. Through these programmes, I have learned extensively about the vast industry of renewable energy generation and have been able to apply my studies to real-world scenarios. Within these programmes, I was lucky enough to visit incredible sites around the country that are vital to New Zealand. Everyone within the company is extremely welcoming and excited about passing on their knowledge. I cannot recommend both the internship and graduate programmes enough."

  • Ella Gilroy - Mechanical Engineering Graduate

    “The Meridian graduate program has provided me with a diverse range of opportunities to kickstart my engineering career. From working on our ancillary assets on projects I managed myself, to working on large-scale hydro generating units with our talented team. The Meridian graduate program has given me a greater appreciation for renewable energy, and the wealth of knowledge behind how we keep our plant spinning.”

  • Brayan Phillips - Electrical Apprentice

    "I love working for Meridian because of all the unique places I’ve been to. I have had the opportunity to do so many things I thought I would have never seen myself doing. Meridian have also been helpful in getting me through my Apprenticeship, supplying me with equipment, knowledge and a great team to learn with."

Frequently asked questions

If you have any additional questions, or you're interested in any of the opportunities currently advertised, please email careers@meridianenergy.co.nz. This email address can't process applications, but we’re happy to help with any questions you have.

When will you be advertising and accepting applications for these roles?

For our graduate programme, we typically hire directly from our intern pool. However, vacancies can become available any time throughout the year, so keep an eye out here.

For our interns, we typically advertise our vacancies in July/August each year.

For our apprentices, vacancies can become available any time throughout the year, so keep an eye out on our careers page.

Do you have any specific requirements for your internships?

Our internships are for engineering students in at least their second or Pro year. Typically, you will be studying mechanical, electrical, civil or mechatronics (automation).

When is an internship and is it paid?

A Meridian internship is a three-month paid position over the summer, starting in November and ending in February 2022.

Can I apply from overseas?

Sorry, the graduate and intern program is for New Zealand graduates only.