APAC | Forging strong bonds with tertiary institutions in New Zealand

Colliers also hosts annual events with the Auckland University Property Student Society giving students the opportunity to network with Colliers team members, as well as supporting a buddy programme to provide mentoring and career guidance. 

Bruce Gallie, Chief Operating Officer of Colliers New Zealand, has been a key figure in developing connections with the tertiary education sector and says there are considerable benefits for Colliers. 

“We are proud of the strong relationships we have nurtured across many years with the likes of the University of Auckland, Massey University, and Lincoln University. We have a large number of their graduates working in our business, and previous scholarship winners have become valued colleagues, and clients, as they grow through their property careers,” Gallie says. 

“Giving people the opportunity to start their career with Colliers while they are completing their studies means they are ready to hit the ground running when they have graduated.” 

Greg Petersen, Director of Rural Valuation & Advisory Services at Colliers, says it’s important to provide students with opportunities as they are making their way in the property industry. 

“Supporting a scholarship has been highly beneficial as we have been introduced to many top-performing students, some of whom have gone on to join Colliers and still work for us today.” 

One service line where Colliers New Zealand has a strong connection with property students is Occupier Services where people join the team as a Facilities Coordinator in the Service Hub and are rapidly exposed to the day-to-day functions of facilities management before pursuing a more advanced role in this field or moving to another area of the business.  

This pathway has proven popular for team members now working in a broad array of roles at Colliers, including property management, brokerage, and facilities management. 

Another area where many undergraduates start their career at Colliers is within the Research and Strategic Advisory teams, where students can engage in property research and financial modelling tasks, which provide a valuable real-world example of topics they have studied.