April 30, 2026
Our company scholarship programme is proving a win-win situation, not only for the successful award winners but also for Westland as we invest in our future people capability, while supporting the long-term strength of the wider dairy industry.
We have announced three new award winners for 2026 who will receive financial assistance for their full-time New Zealand university study, and summer work opportunities with our company. Full employment may be offered after graduation, subject to a suitable position being available. Scholarships are open to students with ties to the West Coast region or Westland Milk Products.
Westland offering students and graduates a bright future
As a company we are committed to supporting young achievers with ties to the West Coast or Westland Milk Products through Westland’s graduate and scholarship programmes.
While the programmes benefit individuals, they are also designed to ensure there is a talented pool of appropriately trained graduates available to join our business each year.
The scholarships are open to students who are studying at a New Zealand University fulltime in one of the following fields: chemical and process engineering, automation, biology, chemistry, food science, environmental science, commerce, business and law. Scholarship students receive $3000 a year to support their study plus paid summer work from November to February. The students work alongside industry experts, contribute to real projects, and gain insights into the inner workings of our dairy industry. Full employment may be offered after graduation, subject to a suitable position being available.
Scholarship applications open in October each year and students wanting to apply can register their interest on our careers’ site.
2026 Westland Scholarship winners
Three former West Coast school students, Jeannelize Diplock, Jessica Beckford and Charlotte Provis are the new Westland Milk Products higher-education scholarship winners for 2026, joining six students already part of the Westland scholarship programme.
Jeannelize is in her first year at Massey University studying towards a Bachelor of Food Technology (Honours), Jessica is in her third year of a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Chemical and Process Engineering at the University of Canterbury and Charlotte is in her third year of a double degree in Law and Commerce at the University of Canterbury, majoring in management.
First graduate cohort working in the business
Last year Yili Oceania welcomed our first cohort of 2025 graduates, with 13 joining the business in February at our Christchurch, Hokitika and Glenavy, sites.
The 18-month graduate programme helps young talent kick start their career as they participate in a wide range of growth and development opportunities including on-the-job learning, personalised growth plans, one-to-one coaching, development workshops and networking with experienced professionals.
More opportunities will be available for graduates to join our operations teams at Hokitika and Glenavy in February 2027, with recruitment for this cohort starting around May 2026. Graduates wanting to apply should register their interest on our careers site.
