Professional profile
With 16 years as a senior employment advocate and hands-on experience building compliance infrastructure for kiwifruit contracting businesses, I sit at the intersection of employment law expertise and practical systems development — a combination that is rare and genuinely useful in an industry where regulatory complexity is overwhelming sole operators.
I understand the pressure kiwifruit contractors face: hundreds of migrant workers, AEWV obligations, INZ reporting, Zespri audit requirements, IRD compliance, and employment law — all falling on a single managing director who also has a business to run. I don't just advise on compliance; I build the tools, templates, and processes that make it manageable day-to-day.
What I offer
HR infrastructure
End-to-end contracts, onboarding, disciplinary processes, and termination documentation tailored for kiwifruit contracting.
Immigration compliance
AEWV sponsorship obligations, INZ reporting, visa tracking, and migrant worker documentation for seasonal workforces.
Digital systems
Bespoke compliance tools, audit workflows, and HR management systems built to work for a sole operator — no IT team required.
Audit readiness
Zespri GAP/GRASP-aligned documentation, evidence management, and contractor audit workflows that survive inspection.
Payroll & IRD compliance
Systems ensuring correct PAYE, KiwiSaver, holiday pay, and leave calculations for seasonal and permanent staff.
Dispute prevention
Mediation support, early resolution, and policy frameworks grounded in 16 years of employment advocacy — keeping issues out of the ERA.
Career history
Kiwifruit Contracting Company · Te Puke / Remote
- Built a complete recruitment-to-termination HR system from the ground up for a business employing hundreds of migrant and seasonal workers annually
- Developed digital tools ensuring ongoing compliance with INZ, IRD, and NZ employment legislation
- Managed AEWV accreditation obligations, visa sponsorship tracking, and migrant worker documentation
- Took on expanded Compliance Manager responsibilities — navigating regulatory body requirements and audit readiness
ERNZ Consultants · Tauranga
- Provided employment advocacy to over 1,200 clients — representing both employers and employees across 12 years
- Achieved a 91%+ resolution rate without ERA or Employment Court progression
- Represented parties at mediation and Employment Relations Authority hearings
- Developed deep expertise in the Employment Relations Act, Holidays Act, and Health & Safety at Work Act
Reid Legal Limited · Tauranga (Employment Law Specialists)
- Co-directed an employment law specialist firm providing legal support and Employment Court representation
Earth2ocean Ltd · Tauranga
- Co-owned one of the Bay of Plenty's largest professional diver training centres — PADI, NAUI, and SSI accredited
- Managed all compliance, staff, and contractor relationships across a regulated training environment
Odyssey Divers Ltd · Tauranga
- Founded and operated a PADI scuba training school for eight years as sole director — managing all commercial, regulatory, and instructional aspects independently
Selected projects
Doorstep
A community elder care coordination platform connecting carers, whānau, GPs, and social workers around a shared client. Built from prototype to production-ready SaaS across multiple development phases.
- Carer mobile app with visit logging, SOAP notes, and wellbeing scoring
- Whānau/family and GP portals for shared visibility
- First visit assessment questionnaire and recurring visit scheduling
- Policies, H&S registers, feedback system, and full audit logging
- Bicultural design with Māori community engagement built in
- PHP/MySQL · doorstep.nz (SaaS launch in progress)
IF Client Manager
A full offline HTML/JavaScript management system built for a social worker managing Individualised Funding (IF) clients, support workers, and employment/tax documentation — no server or internet connection required.
- Client, support worker, and funding allocation management
- IRD-styled tax form generation (IR330, KiwiSaver)
- Employment agreement and document generation
- Hours tracking, timesheets, and payroll calculations
- Offline-first: runs entirely in the browser, no installation
- Vanilla HTML/JS · built for a Te Puke social worker
Workforce Manager
An all-in-one self-hosted workforce compliance platform purpose-built for the kiwifruit industry — handling onboarding, IRD compliance, KiwiSaver, visa tracking, and worker induction in a single system a team can use today.
- Worker onboarding and induction workflows
- IRD compliance: PAYE, KiwiSaver, tax code management
- Visa and AEWV status tracking with expiry alerts
- Self-hosted: runs on your own infrastructure, your data stays yours
- Designed for kiwifruit contracting teams of any size
Core competencies
Employment law
- Employment Relations Act
- Holidays Act / Minimum Wage Act
- Disciplinary & grievance
- Mediation & ERA representation
- Employment agreement drafting
Immigration
- AEWV sponsorship compliance
- INZ reporting
- Visa tracking & documentation
Payroll & IRD
- PAYE, KiwiSaver, leave calculations
- IRD reporting & compliance
- Holiday pay & entitlements
- Payroll systems implementation
Kiwifruit industry
- Zespri GAP & GRASP audits
- Contractor & orchard workflows
- Post-harvest & pack house context
- Seasonal workforce management
Systems development
- PHP / MySQL web applications
- Offline HTML/JS tools
- Recruitment workflow systems
- Audit documentation frameworks
- AI-assisted development
Leadership
- Sole business management
- Remote & independent working
- Stakeholder relationship management
- Training & process documentation
Key achievements
Resolution rate without ERA or Court involvement — across 1,200+ employment disputes over a 12-year advocacy career, saving clients significant time, cost, and reputational risk.
HR system built from the ground up — complete recruitment-to-termination infrastructure for a kiwifruit contracting business employing hundreds of migrant workers annually, covering INZ, IRD, and employment law obligations.
Zespri GAP/GRASP audit system — designed and developed a web-based digitisation system for contractor and orchard audits, drawing interest from Zespri inspectors for broader adoption.
AEWV-compliant employment agreements — built templates for migrant workers in specialist orchard roles, integrating legal compliance with INZ and NZ employment obligations.