People and Culture Manager

People and Culture Manager 

Location: Dunedin

FTE: 1.0

At WellSouth, we are dedicated to promoting health equity, ensuring everyone has access to the highest quality of care and enabling better health outcomes for people in the Southern region.

WellSouth, is seeking an experienced and people-centred People & Culture Manager to join our team. This is a rewarding opportunity for a People and Culture professional who is passionate about building great workplaces and supporting the people who deliver care to our communities.

Position Purpose

In this key leadership role, you will partner across the organisation to design, develop, and implement strategies that attract, engage, and grow our people, building on a high-performance, values-led culture. Working closely with the Senior Leadership Team and reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, you will provide expert advice, champion workforce wellbeing, and help create an environment where our people can do their best work and thrive.

You will lead a dedicated and capable People & Culture team, which has responsibility for health and safety, workforce development, payroll and change management.

What You'll Do

This is a broad, hands-on leadership role where no two days look the same. You will:

• Shape and drive our people strategy, culture, and organisational capability
• Be the trusted advisor to our people leaders, coaching, guiding, and supporting them through everything from day-to-day HR matters to complex change initiatives
• Lead and champion health, safety, and wellness across the organisation,
• Direct and embed learning and development programmes that grow our people and reflect our strategic direction
• Oversee employment relations with expertise and care, managing risk, ensuring fairness, and representing WellSouth where needed
• Keep our people operations running smoothly, including payroll accuracy and fleet management
• Identify emerging trends and bring evidence-based, best practice recommendations to the table

About You

To be successful in this role you will have:

• A tertiary qualification in Human Resource Management or equivalent
• At least five years of senior HR experience, ideally in health or a public sector environment
• A proven ability to design and embed HR initiatives that strengthen culture, grow capability, and bring out the best in people
• Sound knowledge of employment legislation and the ability to provide specialist employment relations advice
• Experience liaising with unions and undertaking collective agreement negotiations, with the confidence to represent WellSouth effectively at the bargaining table
• Exceptional problem-solving skills, sound judgment, and the ability to manage competing priorities
• Strong leadership capability, with the confidence to influence and hold others accountable at a senior level
• Experience working in diverse, complex organisations
• A deep understanding of and commitment to the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its application in the health and community sector

We offer: 

• A supportive work environment where you will make a real impact on the lives of our diverse communities.
• Opportunities for personal and professional growth.
• A commitment to upholding the principles of the Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
• To support the health and wellbeing of our employees we offer a competitive salary, flu vaccinations, an annual wellness voucher and a day off on your birthday.
• 5 weeks annual leave after two years
• Sick leave entitlement of 5 days will be available from commencement of employment and another 5 days at 6 months of employment. 10 days entitlement will be available at 12 months service thereafter.
• Inhouse equity training, Te Reo training and associated professional development
  
• We are a proud Gold Supporter of the Pride Pledge, demonstrating our commitment to creating safe and inclusive workplaces for rainbow communities.

Our Values - Tō Mātou Uara

• He mana tō te whānau – Whānau Centred
• Tōkeke - Equitable
• Manawa whakaute - Respectful
• Pono – Transparent

Please note that we don’t always work to fixed closing dates & may interview candidates as their applications are received.

Applications close: 26 June 2026

Please submit your resume and cover letter detailing your experience and suitability for this role. We look forward to receiving your application. 

For the full Job Description click here: People and Culture Manager 

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WellSouth Primary Health Network is an equal opportunity employer. A proud Gold Supporter of the Pride Pledge, and we are committed to upholding the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. WellSouth is smokefree and we support the Government’s Vision of a Smokefree Aotearoa 2025.