40 years, 40 stories

In 1985, the Institute of Personnel Management was formed. In 1995, the organisation was renamed the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand. In 2025, HRNZ celebrates its 40 years of people-powered success. In each issue of Human Resources magazine this year, we share 10 remarkable stories from past and present members, charting our four decades of the HR profession.

Rachel Wlaker

DistFHRNZ, Strategic Programme Director, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) 11

WHAT’S YOUR BEST MEMORY OF HRNZ?

I was honoured to be the National President and Chair of HRNZ during the early 2000s. What I remember is the wonderful people, our staff, those on the Board or in national roles, and in the branches. Their commitment and dedication to the profession was humbling. I also loved our annual conferences, especially the themed evening events where we got to see a different side to people once they dressed as pirates and the like! On a personal level, spending one to one time hosting the legend that is Dave Ulrich as our keynote speaker has to be a highlight.

Michal Pawlowicz

CMHRNZ, Head of Learning and Development, Hind Management

Who are your unsung heroes of HRNZ?

The unsung heroes of HRNZ are the volunteers who quietly give their time and energy behind the scenes. They’re the ones planning events after work, replying to emails late at night, promoting the profession with passion, and showing up –consistently. They don’t do it for recognition or titles; they do it because they care. I’ve had the privilege of working alongside committee members whose creativity, generosity and behind-the-scenes efforts have made a real impact on our local HR community. Without them, the magic of HRNZ – the connections, growth and friendships –simply wouldn’t exist.

Richard Rudman

DistFHRNZ, First National President of HRINZ

WHAT ARE THE SIGNIFICANT MOMENTS THAT HAVE SHAPED HRNZ?

It was back in the 1960s or 1970s that I first saw a recruitment advertisement in the UK Personnel Management magazine for job applicants who had to be accredited members of the UK Institute of Personnel Management, an organisation with thousands of members that was both inspiration and aspiration for some of us in New Zealand’s tiny and fragmented institute. To get there, we thought, the New Zealand institute had to become an independent national organisation. It took until 1984 to achieve that objective. The rest, as they say, is history.

Jocelyn Visser

CMHRNZ, HR Consultant, Compass Consultancy

WHAT ARE THE SIGNIFICANT MOMENTS THAT HAVE SHAPED HRNZ?

The creation of The Path has been pivotal. When I began my HR journey, there were no New Zealand-based frameworks to guide my development. I relied on overseas models, which lacked the context of Aotearoa, especially the inclusion of te ao Māori. As people leaders, it’s essential we honour and embed te ao Māori principles to ensure HR in Aotearoa is truly bicultural, sustainable, and upholds Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The Path has not only guided my own learning and growth but helped me show and empower others what’s possible in their HR career journey.

Craig Morris

DistFHRNZ, Director, Manukau Consulting Ltd

WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR CAREER HIGHLIGHTS TO DATE?

My best memory of HRNZ was some 15 years ago when attending an HRNZ event. That event (HRNZ Awards of Excellence) demonstrated to me the quality of the organisation and how HRNZ proved itself to be the leader in recognising and promoting HR as a profession. I had been nominated for the NZ Generalist of the Year and had experienced the rigour that nominees go through to be considered. The process was very thorough, and the vetting panel made it clear the high threshold nominees had to surpass to be a contender. Even though I had put a lot of effort into the nomination, I was unsure of the result. I was shocked when my name was announced as the winner of the award! I was honoured to receive the Award and listened to the further awards of colleagues until the last award – the Supreme HR Professional of the Year – when I was again called to the stage to accept that award. An evening I will always remember fondly.

Rowan Tonkin

DistFHRNZ, General Manager: Process Excellence, ANZ

WHAT’S YOUR BEST MEMORY OF HRNZ?

Ijoined HRNZ as a freshly minted HR Masters student who rapidly realised I had a lot of learning and experience to gain in order to evolve from graduate to specialist professional. Now, nearly 30 years later, I can say I have so many favourite HRNZ memories as being part of this community that has so deeply enriched my life as an HR professional, a father and husband. Some real highlights would be presenting at the National Conference and being so scared and nervous, the honour of being an NZ Person of the Year, being elected to represent members on the HRNZ Board three times, the Professional Grading committee, and mentoring where I learnt so much from others. But my best memory will be the amazing people I have built long relationships with, the passionate people I worked alongside or met through HRNZ who encouraged and coached me to be a better HR person. People who join HRNZ are truly special and my life is richer because of it.

Amy Clarke

CMHRNZ, Manager People and High Performance, Oranga Tamariki

WHAT ARE THE SIGNIFICANT MOMENTS THAT HAVE SHAPED HRNZ?

Rā whānau ki a koe, HRNZ! I think the release of The Path: the new, refreshed capability framework for HR professionals in Aotearoa New Zealand was such an awesome moment of shaping and change for HRNZ. It was so incredible to get to see the importance of having a te ao Māori approach to our practice reflected, and that a weaving together of ‘soft’ skills (that are really ‘hard’ skills) and technical expertise are the key to our success.

Felicity Hislop

CMHRNZ, Senior Organisationl Development Specialist, Primary ITO

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT HRNZ?

Where would the HR profession be without HRNZ setting the standards and providing the infrastructure for us to connect? I have had the privilege to be part of the HRNZ community over many years leading committees, participating in working groups and attending incredible events. Creating opportunities for social connection through events, such as Café Connects, provides an opportunity to lighten the load, particularly for those in sole-charge HR positions and just have some fun social time. We tend to spend a lot of our time looking out for others, so some time for us is so important. Thank you HRNZ!

Ruth Payne

CFHRNZ - Strategy, People and Performance

WHAT ARE THE SIGNIFICANT MOMENTS THAT HAVE SHAPED HRNZ?

Over the past 40 years, HR has become a widereaching and complex discipline. Many topics covered by current HRNZ ‘The Basics’ guides would not have meant much to an HR practitioner in 1985. What hasn’t changed though is recognising human resources as a key dynamic in business strategy and the importance of professional, respectful and empowering management of people for an organisation to be effective. Forty years ago, HR managers in New Zealand relied on talking to each other for professional support. The PD programme was yet to be established, there were no online resources and few specialist consultants to provide advice. HRNZ now provides a plethora of tools and learning opportunities, but perhaps its most important role is still in enabling members to share ideas, experiences and social times together.

Laura Constantine

CMHRNZ, Principal Consultant, HelmHR

HOW CAN HRNZ BUILD ON ITS LEGACY IN THE NEXT 40 YEARS?

To me, HRNZ’s legacy is in its ability as an organisation to evolve, innovate and consistently raise the bar for the HR profession in Aotearoa. Chartered membership, a contemporary capability framework (The Path), and leading conversations about sustainability, technology and te ao Māori within HR and the workplace are highlights of the way HRNZ has done this more recently. Over the next 40 years, I see HRNZ stepping up into conversations about people and work in bigger, bolder ways, using its legacy to influence ‘big business’, government reform, and societal norms about work, and the workforce, in Aotearoa.