Hawkes Bay Branch

Our region enjoys wall-to-wall summer sunshine, beautiful beaches and many outdoorbased activities. Not forgetting our sumptuous fruits, our full-bodied reds and rich, complex chardonnays, it’s easy to see why this art-deco inspired twin citied region of Hawke’s Bay is a popular choice for both work and play.

Horticulture, viticulture and agriculture are our primary industries and where most of our employment comes from and, therefore, the requirement for seasonal workers is in high demand. As a region, we are keen to see how the changes in the temporary workforce visas pan out over the next 18 months, as a significant number of employers are registered as a Recognised Seasonal Employer and employ a large number of seasonal workers from overseas.

Over the past year, our HRNZ branch has been revitalised and re-energised, and this is evidenced by a 50 per cent increase in membership and an enthusiastic committee of five people from diverse backgrounds and specialisms. As a provincial region, most of our businesses are classed as small to mid-sized enterprises, and it’s therefore likely that some businesses don’t have a dedicated HR function or, where they do, it’s usually just one individual.

As a consequence, our branch recognises the importance of connecting and collaborating and this is evidenced by numerous interactions between members. Recently, an HR manager based in Hastings asked a member whose primary role was not in HR, to enable an opportunity to ‘chew the fat’ and share ideas and experiences.

For a small branch, we’ve certainly had a busy year so far! We’ve held several Café Connect events, employment law updates, hosted Diversity Works NZ and held a series of events based on health and wellbeing.

Our most successful event of the year was our mock mediation held very recently, of which we saw many non-HR professionals also in attendance. We are on a mission to promote Chartered Membership, and Lisa Oakley, Board Member and National Vice President, recently ran a workshop for members to help them navigate their way through the process. This workshop was very well received, and future ones are planned for next year.

Our committee will shortly be meeting to plan for 2020 and will, therefore, be seeking feedback from our members as to what they would like from their branch.

If any HRNZ members are visiting our beautiful region and would like to connect, either at an event or face to face, please do not hesitate to get in touch. There will always be a warm welcome, usually a warm sunny day and maybe a glass of something Hawke’s Bay!

Kerry Tattersall is a senior HR consultant for Baker Tilly Staples Rodway, Hawke’s Bay. She has been the Hawkes Bay Branch President since July 2018 and is on a mission to build an inclusive, thriving peoplefocused community in order to connect, communicate and collaborate.