NZ HR AWARDS KATHY CATTON
NZ HR Awards
HR professionals from across New Zealand gathered together in February to celebrate and showcase their achievements of the past year. The NZ HR Awards celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of the country’s top HR leaders, companies and teams. Kathy Catton reviewed the glamorous and prestigious night.
stirring reminder that the real job of HR leaders is to “take care of the people who work for us. To make a difference every day for the people you support, lead and inspire”.
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According to the NZ HR Awards chief judge, Geoff Summers, the finalist selection process was more tightly contested than ever. “The numerous high-quality applications are testament to the great work happening in the field of human resources here in New Zealand. It took much deliberation and consideration to decide on the winners. There were so many deserving applications and finalists.”
fter finalists of NZ HR’s prestigious awards were announced in December last year, the stage was set for showcasing New Zealand’s best examples of the HR profession, recognising the achievements of outstanding HR professionals, teams and organisations across 14 categories, ranging from HR Generalist of the Year to Best Wellness Programme. With individuals representing more than 23 companies, these awards shine the spotlight on a true crosssection of the HR profession’s best. The awards have been running for 21 years, and, this year, ran in association with Principal Sponsor Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH). Sake Hitman, Country Manager, New Zealand, LHH, opened proceedings with a 16
HUMAN RESOURCES
AUTUMN 2020
There is so much great HR work going on across New Zealand, and it’s wonderful to see some of it on a night like this.
To have the smartest, most resilient and passionate HR teams and professionals all together for one celebratory night was a fantastic occasion. Antonia Prebble, the muchloved actress and polished MC, hosted the event, held at the Cordis, Auckland. She sparked the audience with her ‘Are you a Westie?!’ quiz and
led us through proceedings, which were punctuated by short videos profiling the finalists.
Make a difference every day for the people you support, lead and inspire. As well as recognising outstanding work, the NZ HR Awards are designed to provide individuals and HR teams with the opportunity to take part in a process of discovery, awareness, acknowledgement and achievement, which highlights the value that HR adds to organisations. Debbie Kirby took the prize for HR Person of the Year, as well as the Leadership Award. Working as General Manager HR for Downer New Zealand, Debbie is the acknowledged leader in New Zealand for Corporate Social Outcome programmes, contributing both to Downer and wider New Zealand. Through constant innovation and working collaboratively with various partners over eight years, she has tackled the tough social issues such as drug usage, and the growing numbers of NEETs (young people not in employment, education or training). Her work affects not only
