Mō mātou | About us
Your water. Your community. Waikato Waters is a publicly owned water utility delivering water and wastewater services across the Waikato region. We have been operational since 1 July 2026, and our purpose is clear: deliver for our communities today and for generations to come. Join us and help make safety and wellbeing part of how we work, every day.
Te tūranga | The role
Looking for a leadership role where you can shape the direction and stay close to the work? Reporting to the Chief People Officer, you will lead our Health, Safety and Wellbeing (HSW) function and two HSW Business Partners. You will combine strategic influence with hands-on support in the field, helping our teams turn good intentions into safe, practical ways of working.
Your opportunity is to bring legacy council practices together into one consistent HSW approach across our geographically dispersed workforce. From coaching operational leaders to strengthening systems and wellbeing, you will help create a culture where people speak up, look out for one another and go home well.
Ō mahi | What you’ll do
You know that great HSW leadership starts with trust. You are as comfortable talking with frontline teams as you are advising senior leaders, and you turn technical knowledge into practical solutions. You bring sound judgement, a collaborative approach and the confidence to lead with responsibility, integrity and respect - especially through change.
Make your mark where it matters. With operations underway, you can shape a consistent approach to HSW, develop your team and see the difference your work makes in the field. This is a role for someone who wants both influence and connection — to the people doing the work and the communities we serve. He waka eke noa, we are all in this together. We offer competitive remuneration, health insurance, and hybrid working where the role allows.
Me pēhea te tono | How to apply
Applications close 20 November 2026. We’ll review applications as they’re received, so we encourage you to apply early.
To learn more about us, visit www.waikatowaters.co.nz. For a confidential chat or a copy of the full position description, contact Sukh Rehill at [email protected].
Your water. Your community. Waikato Waters is a publicly owned water utility delivering water and wastewater services across the Waikato region. We have been operational since 1 July 2026, and our purpose is clear: deliver for our communities today and for generations to come. Join us and help make safety and wellbeing part of how we work, every day.
Te tūranga | The role
Looking for a leadership role where you can shape the direction and stay close to the work? Reporting to the Chief People Officer, you will lead our Health, Safety and Wellbeing (HSW) function and two HSW Business Partners. You will combine strategic influence with hands-on support in the field, helping our teams turn good intentions into safe, practical ways of working.
Your opportunity is to bring legacy council practices together into one consistent HSW approach across our geographically dispersed workforce. From coaching operational leaders to strengthening systems and wellbeing, you will help create a culture where people speak up, look out for one another and go home well.
Ō mahi | What you’ll do
- Lead with care - coach and develop two HSW Business Partners, building confidence, capability and accountability through change.
- Make safety practical - unify legacy council practices into clear HSW systems, policies and standards that our people and contracting partners can confidently use.
- Stay close to the work - be visible across our sites, supporting managers and supervisors with practical advice and coaching.
- Turn learning into action - lead serious incident response and investigations, manage liaison and notifications with WorkSafe, Taumata Arowai and other regulators, and see corrective actions through.
- Build strong partnerships - work with procurement and operations to embed contractor HSW expectations, pre-qualification and compliance monitoring.
- Put wellbeing into practice - champion physical and psychological safety, and oversee injury management and return-to-work support.
- Bring clarity to decisions - give the Chief People Officer, Chief Executive and Board evidence-based insights and action plans, supported by sound registers, audits and assurance. Represent HSW in executive discussions and external forums.
- Help our culture grow - encourage care, open reporting and continuous improvement across every team and worksite.
You know that great HSW leadership starts with trust. You are as comfortable talking with frontline teams as you are advising senior leaders, and you turn technical knowledge into practical solutions. You bring sound judgement, a collaborative approach and the confidence to lead with responsibility, integrity and respect - especially through change.
- Significant HSW leadership experience in a complex operational environment, ideally utilities, infrastructure, water or another regulated industry, with the ability to influence senior leaders.
- Strong knowledge of New Zealand HSW legislation, codes of practice and regulatory expectations.
- Experience building or improving HSW systems that work in practice, not just on paper.
- Experience leading incident investigations, working with regulators and seeing corrective actions through.
- Experience overseeing contractor HSW standards and pre-qualification.
- A relevant tertiary qualification or professional certification in HSW, such as NEBOSH, a New Zealand Diploma in HSW or equivalent.
- Experience across multiple sites or a geographically dispersed workforce is highly desirable.
Make your mark where it matters. With operations underway, you can shape a consistent approach to HSW, develop your team and see the difference your work makes in the field. This is a role for someone who wants both influence and connection — to the people doing the work and the communities we serve. He waka eke noa, we are all in this together. We offer competitive remuneration, health insurance, and hybrid working where the role allows.
Me pēhea te tono | How to apply
Applications close 20 November 2026. We’ll review applications as they’re received, so we encourage you to apply early.
To learn more about us, visit www.waikatowaters.co.nz. For a confidential chat or a copy of the full position description, contact Sukh Rehill at [email protected].