Kia hangai ake e te Manatū Aorere he ao-haumaru, ao-tōnui, ao-pūmau, ki te oranga tonutanga mo Aotearoa whānui - The Ministry acts in the world to build a safer, more prosperous and more sustainable future for New Zealanders.
We, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), are the Government's specialist foreign, trade and development policy advisers, international legal advisers and negotiators. Our work is challenging, ever-changing, and important to the safety, prosperity, sustainability, and ultimately the well-being of New Zealanders. We're based in Wellington, New Zealand, with an office in Auckland and diplomatic representatives in 50 countries around the world.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi is at the core of our work, and Te Tiriti principles provide the foundation for how Aotearoa New Zealand conducts its foreign policy. We live our values of kotahitanga, manaakitanga, courage and impact, and seek to support our staff from all backgrounds to succeed. They also reflect our global partners and to New Zealanders the qualities of the country we represent: a tolerant, diverse, inclusive and welcoming society. Our values support Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission's focus on the spirit of service and help us deliver to New Zealanders in an increasingly challenging global environment.
As a Policy Officer with MFAT you'll have:
From day one as a full-time MFAT employee, you'll undertake meaningful work - applying the skills acquired at university and elsewhere in challenging real-world situations.
We provide many benefits to support our people as part of building and sustaining a happy, high-performing whanau. We are committed to a focus on leadership, talent, training and development, and flexible work options.
Selection Criteria
The nature of our work is broad-ranging, so we welcome applications from graduates from all walks of life, perspectives and degree disciplines. Your university grades aren't the be-all and end-all; we want to hear about your interests, motivations, creativity, and most importantly how you will contribute to MFAT's goals and values.
Those who really stand out will have skills or experience to help you thrive in this environment - things such as volunteering or leadership experience, cross-cultural and language skills, academic excellence, a strength in Mātauranga Māori and/ or knowledge of the Pacific.
To be eligible for our graduate programme, you should be:
These are the must-have – minimum requirements
You are not required to have more than one degree or post-graduate qualification, as per previous years – We are looking for a bachelor's level qualification and are happy to consider a wide range of degrees as we really value the diversity of thought this brings.
We travel a lot for work and will be posted overseas for a few years at a time - so you need to be comfortable with this.
With all this travel you will require a diplomatic passport, so it is essential that you are both a citizen of NZ (or have already submitted your application) and that you can gain and maintain an appropriate national security clearance.
Our recruitment for our intern and grad programmes is a 3-step process:
This year we are planning to review our Early in Careers programme to ensure we are delivering the best possible outcomes both for MFAT and for our new starters. This means that the date for kicking off recruitment for our Aorere and Vaka Internships, and the Foreign Policy Graduate Programme is still to be determined.
With this in mind, please ensure you keep your candidate profile up-to-date via our careers website. Your profile also provides the option to subscribe/unsubscribe to our Job Alerts and these messages will let you know about new vacancies that match the criteria you have outlined including any Graduate or Intern recruitment.
Creating a meaningful career, one that grows and evolves as you do, is so important. With us you'll have the opportunity to grow, evolve, learn new skills and do work that matters. Our 12-month Foundations programme (Advanced Foundations for Intermediate level Policy Officers) will offer you the practical experience, training and development you need to build a career as unique as you. We'll help you create the career you want, where you confidently tap into your passions and do more with your degree.
How do we support you? We provide a range of opportunities to support and develop our people for the future, including: