2026 Award Winners

The NZ HR Awards 2026, hosted by HRNZ in partnership with Principal Partner AMP, celebrate the individuals, teams and organisations shaping the future of human resources in Aotearoa New Zealand. These awards recognise excellence in HR leadership, innovation, workplace culture, and people-focused strategy across New Zealand. 

In a year defined by economic pressure, organisational change, and evolving ways of working, HR professionals have played a critical role in building resilient, inclusive, and future-ready workplaces. 

A highlight for 2026 was the introduction of the Business Impact Award, recognising HR teams delivering measurable organisational impact with strong executive and governance alignment — reinforcing HR’s role as a strategic driver of business success. 

A massive thank you to our valued sponsors: AMP (Principal Partner), Complete Learning Solutions, Convergence, HiBob, Lane Neave,  Strategic Pay, The University of Auckland Business School  

And now, HRNZ is proud to announce the winners of the 2026 NZ HR Awards...  

Major Award Winners 

HR Person of the Year – Sophia Hardie 

The HRNZ HR Person of the Year award 2026 celebrates an individual who is regarded as an exemplar in their Award category. This year, the award was presented to Sophia Hardie, who also received HR Student of the Year. Sophia was recognised for her outstanding work in connecting and inspiring the next generation of HR professionals. As HRNZ's Student Ambassador at the University of Otago, Sophia has strengthened connections between students and the HR profession through workshops, networking events and initiatives such as the internship Showcase and Student Cafe Connect. Her work has supported emerging HR professionals to build practical skills, explore career pathways and engage with the wider HRNZ community.

HRNZ Supreme Award – 2degrees 

Recognised for overall excellence in HR practice, the HRNZ Supreme Award 2026 was awarded to 2degrees. The organisation also took home the Building Sustainability through People Award for its people-led sustainable commuting programme. This initiative has driven meaningful behaviour change, supporting more sustainable commuting, reducing carbon emissions, and enhancing employee wellbeing and engagement while progressing 2degrees 'Net Zero goals.

Outstanding Service Award – Denise Hartley-Wilkins DistFHRNZ 

The Outstanding Service Award recognises an individual who has made an exceptional and lasting contribution to the HR profession in Aotearoa New Zealand. This year, Denise Hartley-Wilkins was honoured for her exceptional commitment to HRNZ and the wider HR community across many years. Through her leadership at branch, Board, and national levels, she has helped shape the direction of the profession while generously sharing her expertise to support and grow others.

What sets Denise apart is not only the breadth of her contribution, but the way she has consistently shown up with courage, curiosity, and compassion. A passionate advocate for learning and development, she has played a key role in building capability, strengthening professional standards, and fostering connection across the HR community. Her impact is reflected in the many people she has mentored and supported, leaving a lasting legacy that continues to shape the profession in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Individual Award Winners 

HR Professional of the Year – Michal Pawlowicz, CMHRNZ

Known for his impactful leadership, Michal Pawlowicz, Head of Learning & Organisational Development at Hind Management/Sudima Hotels and Network Chair of HRNZ's Auckland Network, has led a range of initiatives to strengthen leadership capability, employee engagement and organisational culture. Through programmes such as Puāwai Tahi, The Leadership Essential Series and The Explorers Club, he has empowered employees at all levels to grow their careers and contribute ideas, driving measurable improvement in engagement and a significant reduction in staff turnover.

Leadership Award - Natalie Bullent, CMHRNZ

Natalie Bullent has been awarded the Leadership Award for her outstanding impact at the Transport Rebuild East Coast (TREC) Alliance. In a complex post-disaster environment, she led the rapid onboarding of hundreds of staff (including 100 in two months) and guided the organisation through growth and change, embedding a culture of engagement and resilience. Her focus on talent retention, stakeholder collaboration and workforce development has enabled TREC to deliver for its communities while supporting people to thrive.
 

Emerging HR Practitioner of the Year – Anna Morris, APHRNZ

Anna Morris, People and Culture Business Partner at Matatū Aotearoa | Teaching Council of New Zealand, is making a strong impact through values-led Tiriti-informed people practices. By bringing initiatives such as Manaakitanga Policy and Ngā Pātū o te Whare | Wall of identity to life, Anna has strengthened cultural capability, leadership accountability and employee engagement. Her work is helping to build a workplace grounded in belonging, equity and purpose, while contributing to the future of HR in Aotearoa. 
 

HR Student of the Year – Sophia Hardie 

Sophia Hardie demonstrated exceptional potential, combining academic excellence with strong industry engagement. Through her work with HRNZ and student initiatives, she has helped connect and inspire emerging HR professionals. 
 

Mana Tangata: Emerging Māori HR Award - Joseph Stafford and Shannon Turner

Joseph Stafford and Shannon Turner were both recognised in the Mana Tangata Emerging Māori HR category for their culturally grounded impact across healthcare and service design in Aotearoa New Zealand.

At IntraCare, Joseph led the development of the Tēnā koe : Tēnā koutou cultural pathway, embedding a human-centred approach that strengthens patient experience and empowers a diverse workforce through dignity, connection and mana.

At Whakarongorau Aotearoa, Shannon has advanced a kaupapa Māori approach to service design through initiatives such as Ahurea Tuakiri and the Te Korowai UX framework, embedding tikanga Māori and Te Tiriti principles to create more inclusive, culturally safe and equitable healthcare experiences.

Mana Tangata: Leader Māori HR Award - Bioeconomy Science Institute, Plant and Food Research Group

Bioeconomy Science Institute, Plant and Food Research Group has been awarded the Leader Māori Award for its TONO Regional Hubs programme, driving meaningful cultural change across the organisation. By empowering local teams to embed te ao Māori practices, the initiative has strengthened cultural capability, built staff confidence and created more inclusive, connected workplaces. Through partnerships with mana whenua, support for rangatahi and the normalisation of tikanga in everyday work, the programme has delivered lasting impact across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Organisation Award Winners

Business Impact award (New) - Genesis Energy

Genesis Energy has been awarded the inaugural Business Impact Award for their role in shaping and delivering the organisation’s long-term strategy. Through a co-created approach, the team developed a new purpose and values, embedding these into the Gen35 strategy to drive both cultural and commercial performance. Their work has strengthened engagement, transformed ways of working and delivered measurable business outcomes, highlighting HR’s role as a strategic partner in organisational success.

Talent Acquisition Award – Hōhepa Hawke’s Bay 

Taking out the Talent Acquisition Award, Hōhepa Hawke’s Bay has reimagined recruitment through a values-led, people-first approach. By strengthening local hiring, introducing ethical international recruitment and providing strong pastoral support, the organisation has built a more stable, diverse and engaged workforce. This has reduced turnover, improved service continuity and set a benchmark for talent acquisition in the disability sector in Aotearoa New Zealand.
 

Learning and Development Capability Award – NZ Post 

Addressing a critical frontline skills gap, NZ Post stood out with its Level Up programme, focused on building literacy, confidence and capability. Through a data-driven, values-led approach, the programme has supported employees to grow, move into new roles and contribute more effectively. Level Up has improved engagement, retention and performance, while creating strong pathways for long-term workforce development in Aotearoa New Zealand.
 

Wellness Programme Award – McDonald’s Restaurants New Zealand 

A proactive and holistic approach to employee wellbeing has seen McDonald’s Restaurants New Zealand recognised with the Wellness Programme Award. By introducing the Sonder platform alongside a strong suite of wellbeing initiatives, the organisation has created a more supportive and responsive environment. This has lifted engagement, reduced turnover and strengthened workplace culture across a large, distributed workforce in Aotearoa New Zealand.
 

Future of Work Award – One NZ 

Leading the way in AI-driven transformation, One NZ was recognised with the Future of Work Award for its people-first approach to becoming one of the most AI-enabled telcos in the world. By investing heavily in upskilling and embedding AI capability across the organisation through initiatives such as Elevate and AI School, the company has empowered its workforce to embrace change with confidence. This approach has driven strong adoption, improved engagement and delivered measurable business impact, positioning One NZ at the forefront of the future of work in Aotearoa.
 

Diversity and Inclusion Award – Rio Tinto

Through their Everyday Respect programme, Rio Tinto has strengthened workplace culture and inclusion across the organisation. Grounded in the values of care, courage and curiosity, the programme embeds respect and psychological safety into daily operations, supported by leadership development, employee-led initiatives and meaningful cultural partnerships. This work has increased diversity, empowered employees to speak up and created a safer, more inclusive workforce in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Organisational Change and Development Award - Ravensdown

Ravensdown was awarded the Organisational Change and Development Award for their values-led, bicultural transformation. By engaging employees across the business and embedding te ao Māori into its core values, Ravensdown has built a shared language grounded in whanaungatanga, kaitiakitanga and kotahitanga. This has strengthened connection, trust and alignment, with values now guiding everyday behaviours, decision-making and leadership across Aotearoa New Zealand.
 

Building Sustainability through People Award – 2degrees 

2degrees has driven meaningful change across its workforce. Through initiatives such as WorkRide, a pre-tax public transport benefit, and the Guaranteed Ride Home programme, the organisation has made sustainable commuting more accessible and practical. This has supported behaviour change and contributed to 2degrees’ Net Zero ambitions in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Want to learn more? 

Discover how New Zealand's leading organisations are transforming their workplaces through our Shaping The Profession E-book, featuring real HR cases studies from the NZ HR awards finalists and winners. 

Read the E-book