Health & Safety Manager Te Rapa/Upper Waikato

Job Name

Health & Safety Manager, Te Rapa

General Information

Date Published

10-Jun-2025

Advertising Ends

24-Jun-2025

ID#

12242

Role Type

General Management

Work Type

Permanent Full-Time

Workplace Type

On-site

Country

New Zealand

Location

Hamilton & North Waikato

Position Description

Our Co-operative

Ata whakaarohia tō āpōpō | Imagine Tomorrow with Us

At Te Mātāpuna Fonterra, we want everyone to feel they can be themselves.

Whether you're early in your career or ready for your next step, Fonterra offers a unique opportunity to grow with a global dairy co-operative that values care, collaboration, and contribution.

Owned by New Zealand dairy farmers and supported by a dedicated team, we are all working together to create a better future. Imagine tomorrow with us, where your career can grow, and you can create positive change.

He kupu mō mātou | About us

Established in 1967, our Te Rapa site is one of Fonterra’s largest manufacturing sites and produces whole and skim milk, instant whole milk powders along with cream, butter, pure dairy milk fat, cream cheese, and frozen cream products. At 41 hectares, the site makes enough product to fill 48.5 shipping containers every day!

Mō tēnei tūranga | About the Opportunity

We have an exciting opportunity with plenty of variety and challenge for an experienced Health and Safety Manager to be responsible for the continuous improvement of health and safety not only across our Te Rapa site, but other sites across the upper Waikato region. This role will provide you with growth and opportunity to progress your Health and Safety career and make tangible, rewarding impacts to the safety of work.

You will directly report to the Regional H&S Manager (Upper North Island) and will have autonomy to make this role your own and bring in new ideas. With 5 H&S Business Partners as direct reports, you will work towards the uplift of your direct team capability, and guide and coach the sites on best practice Health and Safety. In addition, you will be part of the wider COO Health and Safety Business Partnering team, therefore having the ability to grow strong relationships and gain support across the region.

A key focus of your role will be to support the proactive management of risks, lead strategic and tactical improvements, and upskill the business in Health and Safety practice. You will be a trusted partner, providing hands-on leadership and coaching to the site leadership teams, supporting continuous improvement, and bringing transformational change in the operations’ overall Health and Safety approach.

Your day-to-day will include building effective relationships, sharing best practices, coaching, and mentoring to ensure implementation of a consistent approach, and ensuring compliance requirements are met. Our strong focus on learning from what goes wrong, and what goes right, means that you’ll be heavily involved in helping our teams learn more about everyday work.

Mōu | About You

You will not only have strong technical Health and Safety knowledge, but will also know how to coach, guide and influence staff across best possible Health and Safety practices. Ideally coming from a manufacturing background, and with exposure to process safety and ideas such as Human & Organisational Performance (HOP).

You will need to be confident with presenting to large groups of people and ideally have had some people management or coaching experience under your belt. A passionate relationship-builder, your stakeholder relationship skills will be second to none, and your natural resilience and ability to manage expectations proactively will see you go far in this role.

To make an impact in this role you will have:

A relevant Health and Safety degree or diploma
Experience in a lead role
Technical Health and Safety management expertise ideally in plant operations
An understanding of process safety or experience in major hazard facilities
Ability to instil trust across a diverse workforce and establish meaningful relationships with stakeholders
Have business acumen and strong organisational skills
Ability to manage ambiguity
Excellent communication and influential skills

Ngā Aura | Our Values

At Fonterra, our values of Good Together, Better Every Day, and Every Drop Counts, are for everyone – no matter your background, identify or experience. These values guide us in delivering exceptional outcomes for our farmers, customers, communities, and each other. Discover how your values align with ours by taking our Values Quiz

Tā mātou oati | Our Commitment to You

We care for our people globally. Our comprehensive benefits support your well-being, development, and work-life balance:

Fair and equitable pay
Health and well-being programs (medical, mental health support)
Professional development opportunities
Career growth support
Work-life balance options (flexible/hybrid working where possible)
Employee recognition
Support for community involvement and cultural connection

To learn more, visit Fonterra Careers

Ngā Mahi | A Career of Opportunities

At Te Mātāpuna Fonterra, we are inspired by purpose and guided by our principles and values. Together, we create goodness for generations and make a global impact at a local level. As part of our Co-operative, you are an everyday creator, imagining what Fonterra, dairy, and you can be here.

Tātou Tātou | Join Us

Does this sound good to you? Come join our whānau - bring your whole self, and let's solve for better together.

You, me, us together, Tātou, tātou.

He Wāhi mō te Katoa | Together, we're shaping a future of inclusion.

Inclusion is key to our Co-operative. We're building a team that reflects the diverse world we live in, believing it drives better decisions and innovation. We welcome applications from all backgrounds (ethnicities, genders, identities, orientations, ages, abilities, neurotypes, cultures, religions). Even if you don't meet every requirement listed, we encourage you to apply; we value your potential and growth.

If you face accessibility issues or need accommodations during the process, please contact your recruiter. We ensure fair participation, allowing you to be at your best.

Applications close at midnight on Tuesday 24th June 2025.

#LI-JF1 #LI-JW

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