People Partner

Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities; Wellington; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Five weeks' annual leave

Insurances

Flexible working arrangements

Career development

Job summary

Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities is seeking experienced People Partners to partner with leaders, influence people outcomes, and deliver strategic and operational people initiatives. You will help build high-performing teams, strengthen leadership capability, and foster positive workplace cultures.

Two roles are available: one fixed-term to June 2028 and one permanent, within our People Services team. You’ll advise across the employee lifecycle, support change management, and drive people

Qualifications

• Strong HR expertise across the employee lifecycle.
• Proven ability to build trusted partnerships with leaders.
• Experience handling complex ER matters and investigations.
• Solid knowledge of NZ employment law and best practice in HR.
• Ability to coach, influence and challenge leaders constructively.

Responsibilities

• Partner with leaders to deliver practical people solutions.
• Provide expert advice across the employee lifecycle and org development.
• Coach and support leaders to build high-performing teams.
• Manage complex employment relations matters and investigations.
• Contribute to People projects aligned to organisational goals.
• Promote best-practice HR and ensure compliance with legislation.

Skills

HR expertise

Relationship management

Employment relations

NZ employment law

Coaching & influencing

Communication skills

Prioritization

Stakeholder engagement

Customer-focused

Job description

Te whiwhinga mahi - Our opportunity

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced HR professional who enjoys partnering with leaders, influencing people outcomes, and making a meaningful impact.

• Partner with leaders to drive people success and help build high performing teams
• Tackle complex HR challenges and make a difference
• 1x Fixed Term role to June 2028 and 1x Permanent role

At Kāinga Ora, we're building more than homes. We're helping create stronger communities and brighter futures for Aotearoa New Zealand. Our people are at the heart of everything we do, and we're looking for two experienced People Partner’s to join our People Services team.

As a trusted advisor, you'll work closely with leaders across the business to provide expert people guidance, influence decision-making, and support the delivery of strategic and operational people initiatives. You'll play a key role in creating high-performing teams, strengthening leadership capability, and fostering positive workplace cultures.

Key Responsibilities Include

• Partner with leaders to deliver practical and robust people solutions.
• Provide expert advice across the employee lifecycle, including performance, leadership, workforce planning, change management, talent, succession planning, and organisational development.
• Coach and support leaders to build high-performing, engaged teams.
• Manage complex employment relations matters, including disciplinary processes, investigations, mediation, and performance issues.
• Contribute to people projects and initiatives that support organisational goals.
• Promote best-practice HR approaches while ensuring compliance with New Zealand employment legislation and organisational policies.

You'll Have

Ngā pūmanawatanga ōu - What you will bring

• A combination of strong HR expertise and excellent relationship management skills.
• Significant experience in HR and employment relations within large, complex organisations.
• Experience managing complex ER matters, investigations, change processes, and stakeholder engagement.
• Strong knowledge of New Zealand employment law and HR best practice.
• The ability to coach, influence and challenge leaders constructively.
• Excellent communication skills and a customer-focused approach.
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.
• A commitment to building inclusive workplaces and supporting positive people outcomes.

Nōu te rourou - What's in it for you?

We offer competitive salaries, five weeks' annual leave and a benefits package including a range of insurances, flexible working arrangements and career development. These benefits are described in more detail here https://careers.kaingaora.govt.nz/a-great-place-to-work/benefits

As a Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities employee, we want to make sure that you have all the tools and support you need. We want to ensure you are healthy and have work-life balance. We also want to support and grow your personal and career development through on-the-job learning, training courses, secondments and study opportunities.

Mō mātou - Our Organisation

At Kāinga Ora, ours is the important responsibility of transforming New Zealand’s housing choices, outcomes and the entire housing sector by creating homes and communities that allow New Zealanders to thrive.

What is exciting about working for Kāinga Ora is getting the chance to make a real and positive impact on New Zealanders’ lives. With skills, planning and purposeful action, our people are creating the homes and neighbourhoods that will build the future of Aotearoa.

We are passionate about transforming New Zealand for the better. That includes being a trusted partner for Māori and iwi, protecting and enabling their rights, interests and aspirations under the guidance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Ō tātou uara - Our values

• Manaakitanga – People at the Heart
• Mahi Tahi – Better Together
• Whanake – Be Bold

Applications close on Tuesday 13th October 2026 at 9.00am.

We value diversity and are committed to working with each other and our customers in an inclusive and respectful way. We welcome applicants from all walks of life and appreciate the richness of experience that your point of difference brings to the organisation.

If you don’t tick all the boxes in this listing but think that you could be a great fit based on your unique background and skillset, we would welcome an application from you.