Watercare, winner of the 2025 Best Small Graduate Development Programme, recently shared their approach with members at an NZAGE Forum. The session outlined how the programme was designed, implemented, and continuously improved to support workforce sustainability in the water sector.

Organisational context

Watercare is New Zealand’s largest water and wastewater utility, supplying over 400 million litres of water daily across the Auckland region and beyond. The organisation is planning significant long-term infrastructure investment, alongside a strong focus on sustainability and stewardship of public resources.

Industry projections indicate that the water workforce in New Zealand will need to double over the next 30 years. At the same time, Watercare faces an ageing workforce, increasing the need to build internal capability and transfer institutional knowledge. The graduate programme is a key response to these challenges.

Programme origins and structure

Watercare previously employed graduates in loosely structured junior roles. In 2021, a formal three-year rotational engineering graduate programme was introduced. The programme is centrally funded by the People team, enabling consistent delivery, oversight, and prioritisation of development.

The programme is structured as a two-plus-one model:

• Two years of rotations across the business
• One year in a targeted placement aligned to future roles

Graduates complete a minimum of seven rotations, with early exposure focused on operations and later rotations in planning and capital delivery. The final year allows consolidation in a specific area.

Key challenges

Several constraints influenced programme design:

• Public sector funding expectations and cost discipline
• Geographic spread of sites across the region
• Ongoing organisational change including restructuring and leadership transitions
• Limited initial programme infrastructure, including lack of pre-defined rotations.

These factors required a flexible and iterative approach.

Role of insights and feedback

Continuous improvement is driven by structured data collection. Sources include:

• Engagement and programme surveys
• NZAGE survey data
• Performance reviews and rotation feedback
• One-to-one meetings and cohort sessions
• Manager feedback and recognition tools

Both qualitative and quantitative data are used. Insights are validated across multiple sources before action is taken.

Key findings include:

• High overall satisfaction with programme length and structure
• Strong preference for rotational learning
• Challenges during transitions between teams
• Value in exposure to multiple disciplines beyond degree specialisation
• Importance of manager capability in determining outcomes

Graduates initially report difficulty seeing end-to-end impact, but this perception improves over time.

Attraction and pipeline strategy

Watercare has limited brand recognition in the graduate market. The attraction strategy focuses on:

• Realistic representation of graduate work
• Promotion of problem-solving and project-based experience
• Partnerships with universities and industry organisations
• Strong alignment between internship and graduate programmes

Internships are the primary pipeline. Most graduates are converted from intern cohorts, reducing the need for external advertising. Word of mouth is a significant driver of applications. Recruitment uses a strengths-based methodology, focusing on candidate motivation and natural capabilities rather than experience alone.

Programme delivery

The centrally funded model ensures:

•  Guaranteed rotations across the business
• Consistent development and training
• Ability to intervene when rotations are not effective

Graduates take on meaningful work, including operational responsibilities, project delivery, and stakeholder engagement. By the second year, they contribute to large- scale infrastructure projects.

Managing rotations

With more than 40 potential rotation areas, coordination is complex. Improvements include:

• Centralised rotation planning and tracking
• Experience matrices to monitor skill development
• Regular feedback loops
• Graduate-led rotation insight videos

These measures reduce onboarding time and improve alignment between graduates and teams.

Development and support
The programme combines on-the-job learning with structured development:

• Health, safety, and wellbeing training
• Self-leadership programme in year one
• Project management qualification in year two
• Leadership development in year three

Additional support includes mentoring, coaching, and regular check-ins. Graduates are trained to actively seek feedback and manage stakeholder relationships. Performance reviews occur every six months, incorporating manager input and self- reflection.

Recognition and progression
Standardised remuneration increases apply across the cohort to encourage risk- taking in rotations. High-performing graduates are offered additional opportunities such as:

• Industry conferences and presentations
• Innovation programmes
• External secondments
• Leadership initiatives

Graduates are pipeline-ready for key engineering roles by programme completion.

Outcomes
Measured outcomes include:

• Consistently high engagement scores
• Increased demand for graduates across the business
• Growth in internship applications
• Strong performance across all programme participants
• Graduates have progressed into leadership and high-responsibility roles earlier than typical career timelines.

Lessons learned
Key lessons from programme development include:

• Continuous measurement and feedback are critical
• Poor rotation experiences must be addressed directly
• Onboarding should be phased rather than front-loaded
• Training must be practical and relevant
• Generational assumptions are not useful without direct feedback

Manager capability is a primary driver of success. Hosting graduates is positioned as a sign of high-performing teams.

Watercare’s graduate programme demonstrates a structured, insight-led approach to early talent development within a constrained and changing environment. The combination of central funding, rotations, and continuous feedback has enabled the organisation to build a sustainable engineering talent pipeline aligned to long-term workforce needs.

Congratulations Watercare!

Don’t forget to join us on April 22 nd for our next online forum event with Suncorp- winners of the Best Large Graduate Development Programme.