Four appointments have been made to WorkSafe New Zealand’s leadership team.
Mike Hargreaves will be WorkSafe NZ’s chief legal advisor, Wayne Verhoeven will be general manager corporate/chief financial officer, John Tulloch will be general manager communications, and Janine Hearn will be general manager human resources.
WorkSafe New Zealand will be the new workplace health and safety regulator for New Zealand. It will be a stand-alone ‘crown agent’. About 300 MBIE Health and Safety Group staff will transition into WorkSafe New Zealand on its establishment.
WorkSafe NZ acting chief executive-designate, Geoffrey Podger, says the appointments were another sign of the good progress in WorkSafe NZ’s establishment, which is expected to be on December 16.
“These are high calibre appointees and I am pleased that we have been able to attract such talent to WorkSafe NZ,” Podger says. “They will bring valuable skills and extend the level of expertise in the health and safety group leadership which will transfer into WorkSafe NZ.”
Mike Hargreaves is currently manager, legal services (litigation) at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Hargreaves joined the Department of Labour in 2002. In 2006, he became a senior solicitor and, in 2009, he was promoted to director litigation for DoL. Over the years, Hargreaves has led the successful prosecution of many high profile cases. He was previously in private practice.
Verhoeven is currently general manager corporate/chief financial officer for Education New Zealand. His previous roles include CIO at the Families Commission, at NZ On Air, and deputy director finance at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He is a chartered accountant.
John Tulloch has been external relations manager at New Zealand Post for three and a half years. Tulloch has worked in roles across journalism, the business sector, central government and international NGOs for the past 20 years. Tulloch spent five years in Parliament as a political journalist and ministerial communications manager. He also spent five years with the Red Cross, guiding communications for major emergency operations including the 2004 South Asian Tsunami and the 2005 Pakistan earthquake.
Janine Hearn has been director, human resources at the New Zealand Fire Service for five years. Her work experience has included senior HR leadership positions with the Ministry of Education, New Zealand Immigration Service, and Ministry of Justice.
The four appointees will start with WorkSafe NZ progressively, from early next month.
