Chasing success on the water while building a future on shore

Alongside the demands of training and international competition, Kate has been building her future career through a HPSNZ Prime Minister’s Scholarship internship with Deloitte, an experience that is helping her prepare for life after rowing while continuing to pursue success at the highest level.

A member of New Zealand’s women’s four and eight crews, Kate has long valued education and personal development alongside her sporting ambitions. The Massey University Bachelor of Business (Accounting) graduate completed her degree with support from a Prime Minister’s Athlete Scholarship and was eager to gain meaningful workplace experience while pursuing her rowing career.

“I’ve always envisioned myself eventually being in the corporate world,” says Kate. “The internship has opened my eyes to what corporate life is like and given me experience with a company like Deloitte. It’s going to set me up really well for when I retire from rowing.

The internship initially ran for two months before Kate departed for international competition. So successful was the arrangement that Deloitte subsequently offered her an ongoing part-time role.

Today, she works around eight to 10 hours a week with Deloitte’s talent acquisition team, supporting graduate recruitment and early careers programmes while maintaining a longer-term pathway into tax and business advisory work once her rowing career concludes.

Balancing elite sport and professional development requires careful planning. Kate typically schedules work around her training programme, allocating time on days with lighter training loads and ensuring recovery remains a priority.

“I make sure I’m ticking all the boxes with training and recovery first,” she says. “The flexibility Deloitte has given me has been huge. During our biggest training weeks they’re happy for me to reduce my hours, which has really helped me find the balance.”

Importantly, Kate says the benefits have flowed both ways.

“The skills I’ve learned in the workplace – being organised, communicating clearly and making the most of people’s time – have helped my rowing as well. It’s also given me something outside of sport, which I think is really important.”

For Deloitte, the internship reflects a broader commitment to supporting athletes and helping them successfully transition beyond sport. As a global Olympic and Paralympic partner, Deloitte has invested in initiatives that support high performance athletes internationally, and saw the HPSNZ Prime Minister’s Scholarship internship programme as a natural extension of that commitment in New Zealand.

Kate became the first Olympic-pathway athlete to complete an internship with Deloitte New Zealand, providing an opportunity for the organisation to explore how athlete development and career development can work hand in hand.

Deloitte Talent Acquisition Manager Madi Barnett says the organisation was determined to find a model that worked for both Kate and the business.

“We’ve been intentional about helping her build relationships, understand how Deloitte works and develop broader professional skills, so that when she has more time available there’s a pathway for her into an area that aligns with her studies,” says Madi.

The HPSNZ Prime Minister’s Scholarship internship programme played an important role in turning good intentions into a practical opportunity for Deloitte, says Madi.

“It enabled the operationalisation of it. HPSNZ helped connect us with athletes and provided guidance on what and who might work. That made it much easier to create a successful opportunity for us and for Kate.”

As Kate continues her journey towards the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, her experience highlights the impact of HPSNZ’s Prime Minister’s Scholarship programme in helping athletes develop meaningful careers alongside their sporting ambitions, ensuring they are as prepared for life beyond competition as they are for success on the world sporting stage.