The People Project
About
The People Project is a boutique People and Culture consultancy partnering with New Zealand businesses to build strong, modern, and high-performing workplaces.
We work alongside business owners and HR teams who want practical HR support that actually works in the real world. Whether you need an extra set of experienced hands, strategic guidance, or confidence navigating complex people matters, we meet you where you are and scale support to fit.
For internal HR teams, we act as a trusted extension of your function. That might look like sense-checking decisions, providing legislative guidance, supporting tricky employment relations matters, or helping deliver strategic HR projects when capacity is stretched. We bring fresh thinking, deep NZ employment law knowledge, and a practical, solutions-focused approach, without taking over or complicating things unnecessarily.
For business owners and leaders, we provide clear, plain-English advice that reduces risk and builds confidence. We know HR can feel overwhelming, especially as businesses grow. Our role is to simplify the people side of the business, put solid foundations in place, and help leaders make fair, commercially sound decisions that stand up to scrutiny.
Our services span the full employee lifecycle, including outsourced HR support, employment agreements and policies, performance and disciplinary processes, restructures and change, investigations, leadership development, culture and engagement work, and people strategy. We also support businesses through growth, transformation, and moments that really matter for their people along with an extensive range of Learning and Development workshops and training.
What sets us apart is how we work. We are relationship-led, responsive, and grounded in best practice, without being overly corporate or theoretical. We take time to understand your business, your people, and your culture, then tailor our advice accordingly. No off-the-shelf solutions, no policies for the sake of it.
At The People Project, we believe great people practices don’t need to be complicated. They just need to be done well, with care, clarity, and the right support around you.
HRNZ Q/A
Describe your product or service and what it delivers
The People Project provides outsourced People & Culture and HR consulting services to New Zealand businesses. Acting as an embedded HR partner, we support organisations across the full employee lifecycle, from strategy and compliance to employment relations, leadership development, and culture transformation, delivering practical, commercial HR solutions that drive business performance.
What size business or organisation does your product/ service suit?
Our services are designed for organisations of all sizes, from growing SMEs that need access to senior HR expertise without hiring in-house, through to larger organisations requiring specialist HR support or project-based capability. Many of our clients are fast-growing businesses that need scalable People & Culture support, leadership development, or guidance through complex people challenges such as restructures, performance management, or organisational change. Our flexible model allows us to scale our involvement up or down depending on the needs of the business.
What kinds of organisations may be interested in your product/ service?
We work with organisations across a wide range of industries including manufacturing, technology, financial services, professional services, FMCG, public sector and not-for-profit organisations. Businesses navigating growth, organisational change, leadership capability development, or complex employment relations matters often benefit from our support. Organisations looking to strengthen their people strategy, build high-performing cultures, ensure HR compliance, or access experienced HR professionals without maintaining a large internal team are particularly well suited to our model.
How long has your product/ service been on the market?
The People Project was founded in Auckland in 2018 with the vision of delivering modern, practical HR services to New Zealand businesses. Since then, the company has grown steadily and now supports more than 500 organisations across a wide range of industries with outsourced HR consulting and strategic People & Culture support.
What does your standard product cost?
Our services are flexible and priced based on the scope and level of support required. Many clients engage us through a monthly retainer model that provides ongoing access to a dedicated HR consultant and broader team expertise. Alternatively, we offer project-based engagements for specific initiatives such as organisational design, leadership development, restructures, policy development, or HR system implementation. Costs typically depend on the size of the organisation, the complexity of the work, and the level of ongoing support required. This flexible model allows organisations to access senior HR expertise without the cost of hiring a full-time internal HR team.
Are there annual licensing costs? How are these structured?
The People Project does not operate on a traditional licensing model. Instead, our services are structured as consulting engagements tailored to each client’s needs. Many organisations choose to partner with us through a monthly retainer arrangement, which provides ongoing access to HR advice, support with employment relations matters, and guidance across the employee lifecycle. This arrangement allows businesses to treat us as an extension of their internal team and provides predictable, ongoing support. For organisations that require assistance with specific initiatives, such as organisational change, restructures, leadership development programmes, or policy and compliance reviews, we also offer project-based pricing. These engagements are scoped and priced according to the size, complexity, and timeframe of the work. This flexible approach allows organisations to access experienced HR capability when they need it, without long-term licensing commitments.
Is your product an off the shelf solution, or does it require customisation?
Our services are highly tailored to each organisation. While we bring proven frameworks, HR infrastructure, and best-practice approaches, every engagement is designed around the specific needs, culture, and stage of growth of the business. We work closely with leadership teams to understand their strategy, workforce challenges, and organisational context before designing solutions. This may include building HR foundations such as policies and processes, supporting complex employment relations matters, developing leadership capability, or shaping organisational culture and employee experience initiatives. Because no two organisations face exactly the same people challenges, our approach combines practical expertise with customised implementation to ensure solutions are fit for purpose and sustainable.
How long does your product take to implement? How does customisation impact this?
Implementation timeframes vary depending on the scope of work and the needs of the organisation. In many cases, organisations can begin accessing HR support immediately once an engagement is agreed. For ongoing outsourced HR partnerships, we typically start with an initial discovery phase to understand the organisation’s structure, workforce challenges, and strategic priorities. From there, we establish priorities and an operating rhythm for ongoing support, which may include regular check-ins, onsite presence, and advisory support for leaders. Project-based engagements may have defined timelines depending on the initiative. For example, HR infrastructure reviews, policy development, or organisational design projects may take several weeks, while larger transformation or culture initiatives may run over several months. Because our services are customised to each organisation, timelines are flexible and designed to integrate with the client’s operational priorities. Our focus is on delivering practical, implementable solutions that enable leaders to move forward with confidence.
What is your post-implementation support? Are there costs to this or is the up-front cost inclusive of additional support?
Post-implementation support is a core part of our service model. Many clients continue working with us on an ongoing basis through a retainer arrangement, allowing us to remain closely connected to the business and provide day-to-day HR advice as new situations arise. This ongoing partnership means organisations can access experienced HR professionals for guidance on employment relations issues, leadership coaching, organisational change, policy updates, and broader people strategy. For project-based work, we typically include a transition and support phase following implementation to ensure leaders are confident in applying the new frameworks or processes. Where additional support is required beyond the agreed scope, we can provide further advisory support on an as-needed basis. Our goal is to act as a trusted long-term People & Culture partner, helping organisations build capability internally while remaining available whenever expert HR guidance is required.
Would you be able to provide example customers/ organisations who would be willing to allow site-visits for potential customers to view a demonstration of the product or service in action?
Due to the confidential nature of HR advisory work, site visits are not an option and we don’t share confidential information of projects we have done for our clients. However, we are happy to provide client testimonials, from organisations we support (with their permission). We also have a 5 star google review rating which you can view. These can provide insight into how we partner with businesses and the outcomes we deliver.
Contact
021 165 5955