Celebrating excellence: The best in New Zealand HR 

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Celebrating excellence: The best in New Zealand HR

HRD Awards New Zealand 2025 recognise standout HR leaders in a changing world

As we celebrate the achievements of this year’s HRD Awards New Zealand winners and Excellence Awardees, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the evolving landscape of people and culture across Aotearoa.

Over the past year, HR leaders have been navigating continued economic uncertainty, shifting employee expectations and the accelerating impact of new technologies – all while keeping people, purpose and performance in balance.A changing world of work in Aotearoa

The conversation around flexible and hybrid work remains front and centre for New Zealand organisations. HR teams have been tasked with refining flexible work arrangements that can support productivity and collaboration while respecting employees’ desire for autonomy, work-life balance and whānau commitments.

At the same time, many sectors across New Zealand continue to face skills shortages and intense competition for talent. This has pushed HR and people leaders to rethink traditional approaches to recruitment and retention.

Skills-based hiring, targeted development pathways and stronger employee value propositions are becoming critical levers in the race to attract and keep top people.

Learning, development and internal mobility are also under the spotlight. Organisations are investing more in upskilling and reskilling programs to future-proof their workforces, build leadership capability and support career growth in an environment where roles are changing rapidly.Technology, people and purpose

Across New Zealand, HR functions are increasingly embracing technology to support smarter, more human-centred decision-making. From advanced HR analytics and digital onboarding to AI-powered recruitment and engagement tools, technology is reshaping how HR teams deliver value to the business.

Alongside these advances, HR leaders are paying close attention to ethics, fairness and transparency in the use of data and AI. Ensuring employees’ trust, protecting privacy and maintaining a genuine human connection remain central priorities – especially in areas such as performance management, wellbeing support and employee voice.

There has also been a renewed focus on culture, inclusion and wellbeing. New Zealand HR professionals continue to lead initiatives that champion diversity, equity and inclusion, foster psychologically safe workplaces and support mental health.

Many organisations are embedding Te Ao Māori perspectives in their people strategies, reflecting a deeper commitment to biculturalism and a more inclusive understanding of leadership and community.

Despite the complexity of the current environment, HR professionals across Aotearoa are rising to the challenge – shaping resilient, future-ready workplaces and ensuring people remain at the heart of organisational strategy.

Honouring New Zealand’s HR achievements

Against this backdrop, the HRD Awards New Zealand 2025 shine a spotlight on the individuals and teams who have gone above and beyond to drive positive change in their organisations and across the profession.

This year’s awards brought together leading HR professionals, people and culture teams, and senior executives from organisations of all sizes and sectors across the country. The program spans a comprehensive range of categories, including HR Director of the Year, HR Manager of the Year, HR Rising Star of the Year, HR Team of the Year and more.

Each category recognises excellence in a critical dimension of HR – from strategic leadership and innovative people initiatives to culture transformation, learning and development, and talent management. The calibre of nominations once again highlights the depth of HR expertise and ambition at work in New Zealand organisations.

Clearhead was proud to sponsor the event, and the company’s CEO and co-founder, Angela Lim, said the recognition is important for advocating best practices in the workplace.

“We congratulate all the HR award winners and the massive achievement it represents,” said Lim.

Celebrating collaboration and impact

A consistent theme across this year’s winners and finalists is the power of collaboration. Whether it’s cross-functional partnerships to deliver large-scale transformation or tight-knit HR teams working together to support employees through change, the 2025 awards showcase how shared effort drives outstanding results.

Mark Lewis, head of people and culture at Connectics and winner of HR Team of the Year said: “Winning this award is a proud moment because it reflects true collaboration.”

“This isn’t just an HR achievement; it’s a business milestone aligned with Connetics’ 2030 growth strategy in support of the decarbonisation of New Zealand’s economy.”

The stories behind the awards also underscore the human side of HR – professionals who listen deeply, advocate for their people and champion initiatives that align business goals with values and culture. Their work helps organisations remain agile and competitive while ensuring employees feel supported, respected and empowered to do their best work.

LawVu’s Vice President, People, Karly Boast, took home the NZ HR Director of the Year award. She said the meaningful achievement acknowledges the “unseen work behind great people leadership and the decisions, conversations and cultural shifts that shape how people experience work every day.”

“As the world of work continues to evolve, HR’s role in balancing performance with humanity has never been more important,” Boast added.

We extend our sincere thanks to everyone who submitted a nomination this year and to the many organisations that shared their success stories and learnings. We are also deeply grateful to our esteemed panel of judges for dedicating their time and expertise to carefully review entries and select this year’s outstanding winners and Excellence Awardees.