2025 Health and Safety Rep of the Year Finalists and Overall Winners

The finalists for the 2024 HSR of the Year Awards and this year's winner.

Felicity "Flick" Sime is a Ranger in Coastal Otago whose role places her in the heart of DOC’s higher-risk operations, including contractor management, remote fieldwork, and asset maintenance. As a Health and Safety Representative, Flick brings practical insight, steady leadership, and a tireless commitment to helping others stay safe and well—both physically and mentally.

She chairs the local health and safety committee, contributes to national policy reviews, and helps colleagues navigate complex systems by summarising key safety alerts and updates. Flick has led and improved DOC’s ACC self-assessment process, setting a high standard by sharing her tools and insights with others across the region.

Her work spans everything from mental health advocacy—such as leading workplace psychosocial risk reviews and supporting surge teams—to identifying opportunities for system-wide improvement. Flick also gives voice to workers at the national level, representing their feedback and concerns on key issues like vehicle safety, workload pressure, and critical risk controls.

What sets Flick apart is her humble consistency, behind-the-scenes support for other leaders, and her focus on ensuring every voice is heard and followed up with action. She builds others up, brings people along, and leads by example—quietly, reliably, and with remarkable impact.

The Wellington Health and Safety Committee, represented by Ryan, Cody, and Cassandra—Senior Quarantine Officers at MPI—have had a significant impact on health, safety, and wellbeing across Border Clearance Services. Operating in dynamic, high-risk environments such as airports, ports, and transitional facilities, they’ve consistently championed practical, people-focused solutions that reflect the reality of frontline work.

Over the past 18 months, the team has led a range of initiatives—from enhancing incident investigations and safety inductions, to facilitating staff conversations during toolbox talks. A standout has been their wellbeing initiative for night shift teams, which draws from Te Whare Tapa Whā. By running team activities that focus on physical, emotional, spiritual, and social wellbeing, they’ve helped build stronger team cohesion and reduced the impact of fatigue and isolation.

The team also improved safety for staff working in transitional facilities by refining and embedding the Cargo Site Safety Observation Form, ensuring staff are properly equipped, risks are identified early, and feedback loops are closed. Their leadership extends to critical risk controls including communication devices for remote work and safety improvements around aggressive interactions and fumigants.

Backed by their managers and MPI’s HSW Directorate, this team exemplifies what strong worker representation, innovation, and collaboration can achieve across complex and evolving work settings.

Aimee Gibson, an Administration Officer at the Department of Corrections, has brought extraordinary creativity and energy to her role as a Health and Safety Representative. Her initiatives have transformed how staff engage with health, safety, and wellbeing—making it part of the workplace culture, not just compliance.

Aimee launched the “Safety First” campaign, combining weekly safety drills, engaging videos, and interactive workshops that turned safety messaging into something practical, fun, and memorable. Her “Wellbeing Wednesdays” offered staff mindfulness sessions, yoga, and a “Stressbuster Room,” creating protected time to focus on mental health and self-care.

She also rolled out the “Healthy Habits” programme, which encouraged physical wellbeing through fitness challenges, walking groups, and healthy snack options—helping her colleagues adopt long-term lifestyle changes. Alongside this, her Ergonomic Excellence programme reduced workplace injuries by redesigning workspaces and providing equipment tailored to staff needs.

Aimee doesn’t just implement ideas—she celebrates others, too. Her “Safety Superstars” recognition programme reinforces a culture where safe behaviour is noticed and appreciated.

Aimee’s leadership has been widely recognised by her peers, her managers, and union partners alike. Through creativity, inclusivity, and contagious enthusiasm, she’s built a healthier, more connected workplace—and set a powerful example of what a great HSR can be.

Mark O’Connor, a Senior Firefighter at Rotorua Station, has brought courageous leadership and innovation to psychological wellbeing at Fire and Emergency New Zealand. As a Health and Safety Representative and peer supporter, he has consistently gone above and beyond to care for his colleagues’ mental health—an area often overlooked in emergency services.

Recognising the need for proactive support, Mark designed and delivered the “Staying Grounded” workshop, a peer-led resilience programme tailored to firefighters. The sessions acknowledge the high rates of PTSD and suicide within the firefighting community and offer practical, evidence-based strategies for building psychological resilience. Based on international research and grounded in the Fire and Emergency M.A.N.E.R.S. model, the workshop equips firefighters with tools for managing stress and supporting one another through critical incidents.

Mark’s honest, vulnerable facilitation style has created safe spaces for open discussion. After piloting the workshop with his own crew, demand quickly spread throughout the station and wider region, with brigades across the district asking to take part.

In a busy service with limited wellbeing resources, Mark’s initiative has had a ripple effect—normalising mental health conversations, increasing team cohesion, and strengthening psychological safety across FENZ. His work exemplifies the power of leadership from within and shows how one person’s care can reshape culture for the better.

May Kennedy, a Public Health Nurse with Kidz First Community, is a standout Health and Safety Representative who brings relational leadership, practical problem-solving, and unwavering commitment to her role. Working across Counties Manukau, she has made a lasting contribution to improving both safety systems and everyday health and wellbeing for her colleagues.

May has led service-specific risk management training, developed tailored safety inductions, and created practical policies for hazards unique to community work—like managing violence in the field or ensuring dog safety for frontline staff. She also coordinates the Kidz First risk register and plays a key role in upskilling new HSRs and fire wardens, generously sharing her knowledge to build capacity across her service.

Known for her kindness and approachability, May is trusted by her peers and respected by managers. Her influence has helped lift the engagement of leaders and bridged gaps between health and safety advisors, managers, and frontline teams.

May’s strength lies in combining thoughtful system improvement with a genuine human touch. She listens first, acts collaboratively, and never loses sight of the people behind the policies. Her consistent, relational approach has made health and safety feel meaningful and grounded in the real experiences of those she supports.

Jae-Min Lee, a Workplace Administrator at Oranga Tamariki’s Takapuna office, is described by colleagues as the most fabulous Health and Safety Representative they’ve ever had. His passion for wellbeing and proactive leadership have transformed his workplace into a safer, more caring, and more connected environment.

Jae-Min doesn’t wait for problems to arise—he finds opportunities to build awareness and strengthen protective measures. From organising a staff wellbeing survey to better understand stress levels, to setting up practical dog safety training for social workers visiting client homes, Jae-Min brings insight and action to every aspect of his role.

He arranged hands-on fire safety sessions with the local Fire Department, ensuring staff are confident using extinguishers and hoses. At weekly team meetings, Jae-Min always brings a relevant health and safety topic to the table, keeping safety visible, current, and meaningful.

Trusted by his peers and respected by management, Jae-Min is known for being approachable, thorough, and creative. He listens carefully to staff, communicates their concerns to leadership, and always follows through.

His enthusiasm keeps health and safety not just alive, but thriving. Whether through compliance work or wellbeing advocacy, Jae-Min exemplifies the best of what an HSR can bring to a workplace.

Please join me in recognising Emily Regtien from Wellington Free Ambulance—a Health and Safety Representative who brings courage, compassion, and consistency to her work.

Emily has served in this role for five years, quietly transforming the experience of her colleagues in the Clinical Communications Centre. She’s improved workspace design, raised visibility of risks, and been a strong, trusted advocate when staff concerns needed to be heard.

One example of her leadership came when changes to the overflow office space created unexpected hazards and feelings of exclusion. Emily raised a hazard notice, completed a full risk assessment, and worked with Facilities to create a safer environment—while also championing the need for early staff engagement in future changes.

She’s brought that same insight to broader organisational work, helping shape the bowtie analysis for risks associated with isolated working—a key concern in clinical communications roles.

Emily leads by example. She’s dependable, deeply respected, and never afraid to speak up when something needs fixing. Her colleagues know she has their back—and her influence continues to grow.

Please give a round of applause for Emily Regtien and her fantastic contribution.

The Tauranga Health and Safety Committee at Inland Revenue has created a vibrant culture of participation, creativity, and care through their proactive leadership. Made up of Nicole McPike, Tiffany Limmer, Michelle Rintoul, Zihan Hasan, and Geordie Burns, the team has gone above and beyond traditional H&S rep duties to make safety a visible and shared responsibility.

They’ve taken full advantage of their committee's annual budget to fund initiatives that genuinely engage their colleagues, such as quizzes with spot prizes that encourage learning and discussion. Their standout “Health and Safety Summer Campaign” featured themed weeks focused on practical topics like BBQ safety, hydration, boating, and beach safety—paired with email tips and fun activities that raised awareness while fostering a strong sense of community.

Through consistent, site-specific messaging and positive reinforcement, the team has made health and safety accessible, relatable, and even fun. Their ability to turn compliance into connection shows the power of grassroots leadership and creative thinking in health and safety.

Backed by union partners and the wider organisational resilience team, this committee is a great example of what can happen when passionate people are empowered to make a difference in the everyday safety and wellbeing of their colleagues.