Catching the Next Wave of Early Talent

This topic was front and centre at the 2025 NZAGE Summit, where Talent Solutions director Seren Wilson shared these insights with early talent leaders from across the country. It sparked plenty of conversation because early talent programme managers sit in a uniquely powerful place. They open doors for young people taking their first professional steps and help shape the capability their organisations will rely on in the coming years. It is easy to forget this when the role feels like a constant loop of attraction, selection, onboarding and development.

New Zealand’s demographics are shifting quickly. The workforce is ageing, succession pipelines are tightening and the population mix is changing, with strong growth in Māori, Pacific and Asian communities. Awareness of neurodivergence is increasing and Gen Z is arriving with higher expectations around clarity, coaching and development. AI is also reshaping the capability organisations will need in the near future. All of this means the insight of programme managers matters more than ever. They understand where capability gaps lie, which parts of the organisation struggle to hire, what early talent values and what keeps them engaged.

This is where workforce planning becomes essential. Many programme managers underestimate how valuable their on the ground knowledge is. When they feed that insight into planning conversations, they help leaders think beyond the next recruitment cycle and towards the long term shape of the organisation. It is one of the clearest ways to lift influence internally.

Influence is difficult, though, when the delivery cycle never stops turning. Attraction rolls into selection, then onboarding, then rotations, then straight back to attraction. Add lateral hiring and day to day HR work and it becomes obvious why strategic projects keep slipping down the list. Across the community, the same themes keep surfacing as the areas programme managers most want more time for: clarifying programme purpose, refreshing capability frameworks, securing the right budget, ensuring a consistent cohort experience, strengthening manager capability, making better use of technology, lifting preboarding and induction and building clear development pathways.

Choosing one focus area for 2026 is a practical way to break the cycle. The next step is making progress visible. There is no shortage of ways to measure improvement and the right measures help the wider organisation understand the value early talent brings. The final step is creating space by delegating, removing or outsourcing work that no longer supports strategic goals. No one can lead at a strategic level while overloaded with operational tasks.

The message is simple. Programme managers sit at the centre of demographic change, evolving workforce needs and the expectations of the next generation. Their insights play a crucial role in helping organisations prepare for what comes next. Identifying a strategic focus for 2026, measuring progress and carving out the space to deliver it will keep programmes moving forward rather than stuck on a constant delivery loop.

Here’s to a stronger, more intentional year ahead for early talent in 2026!