Careers at Sumpters
Grow Your Future in Northland
Your success = our business. And that starts with our people.
Our team of chartered accountants, business advisors and commercial property management specialists based in Whangārei and Kerikeri always puts people first.
We work with an incredible range of Northland clients from start-ups to corporates, iwi organisations, farms and family businesses. That means real variety, real responsibility and real client relationships from day one.
We're committed to growing and keeping top talent right here in Te Tai Tokerau. If you're studying accounting, or about to graduate, we'll back you all the way to becoming a Chartered Accountant, without having to leave the best lifestyle in the country to do it.
Where Could a Career at Sumpters Take You?
There's no single path and no ceiling either. Our graduates build genuine careers, not just qualifications. Depending on your strengths and interests, your future at Sumpters could include:
Qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with hands-on experience behind you
Specialising in business advisory, tax, Māori business or agribusiness
Leading your own client portfolio and mentoring the graduates who come after you
Progressing into senior advisory and leadership roles
We can't promise you a title, that part's up to you. What we can promise is the training, mentoring and opportunities to get there.
Summer Internship
Summer internships offer a head start on your Chartered Accounting journey, before you've even finished your degree.
We have limited spaces available for the 2026/27 summer with paid internships over the university holidays (November to February) in our Whangārei office.
These internships are designed for students partway through a degree, especially third-years majoring in accounting with Northland roots, or a desire to move here.
As a Sumpters intern you will:
Earn while you learn, working on real client jobs across business accounting, tax and advisory, not just filing and data entry
Work with your own mentor and access our training
See how a full-service Northland firm works, from small businesses to iwi and agribusiness clients
Get a guaranteed interview for our Graduate Programme
Sumpters Graduate Programme
Applications are now open for our 2028 intake. For final-year students and recent graduates, our Whangārei-based Graduate Programme is a clear, structured, three-year pathway to a full Chartered Accountant qualification.
Foundation - Grow - Elevate
You'll start with core training, dedicated mentor support and broad client exposure across industries while working through CA ANZ's CA Foundations studies. From there, you'll take on deeper client engagement and start leading smaller jobs and projects. By year three, you're leading client files, moving into CA ANZ's CA Programme, and mapping out your long-term career pathway with clear milestones along the way.
What our graduates receive:
Financial support towards your CA Programme fees
Study leave
Ongoing professional development
Regular progression reviews
Why Sumpters?
A people-first team: big enough for variety, small enough that you're never just a number
Local expertise with genuinely diverse clients
Specialisation in Māori business, rural and SME sectors
Strong, structured support for your career growth
Lifestyle and balance in beautiful Northland: beaches, bush and no motorway commute
Join Our Team
Beyond our internship and graduate intakes, we're always keen to hear from talented people who share our values. If you think you'd be a great fit for Sumpters, send us your CV and a short cover letter to sumpters@sumpters.co.nz telling us what you're looking for, and we'll keep you in mind as opportunities come up.
How to Apply
Send your CV and cover letter to sumpters@sumpters.co.nz, or call us on 0800 438 393 if you'd like to have a chat first.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to hear when applications open.