A leading electronics and home appliance retailer was recently ordered to pay more than $30,000 after a WorkSafe investigation found workplace stress and burnout were not properly managed. For HR professionals and senior leaders, cases like this raise serious questions. For many organisations, psychosocial risk management is still treated as an HR initiative, sitting alongside …
What’s the Real Cost of Ignoring Psychosocial Risks? Read More »
Safety conversations are essential for building a robust safety culture within your team. They provide a vital opportunity to observe what’s happening on the floor and connect meaningfully with your team members. These discussions allow you to celebrate positive behaviours and tap into the insights of your frontline experts, creating an environment of shared knowledge.
Regular conversations with your team are crucial for transforming your safety, health, and wellbeing culture. Central to this process is the Coaching Equation, a simple yet powerful tool that can help structure both one-on-one discussions and quick, in-the-moment conversations.
Celebrating successes is key to building a strong safety culture. It reinforces good behaviour, lifts morale, and creates a supportive atmosphere for your team. Whether someone speaks up about a safety issue or shows your safety values, the TEAM model helps you celebrate those moments quickly and clearly. By using this approach, you can create …
Zoe shares her personal journey through a challenging period in her life when she experienced two diabetic comas close together. The aftermath left her struggling with severe anxiety, which impacted her ability to work, strained friendships, and diminished her joy in the activities she once loved. Through her story, Zoe highlights the importance of mental …
The power of cultural transformation comes from sharing personal stories and how they help build your ‘why’ for safety. When individuals open up about their experiences, it not only reinforces the importance of safety but also encourages others to reflect on the potential consequences of their actions.
In a safe workplace, people feel secure not only physically but psychologically. This video explores how you can create a culture where your team feels safe to fail and remove the blame culture. When mistakes happen, instead of pointing fingers, the focus shifts to how those mistakes can be prevented in the future, ensuring everyone …
Build a psychologically safe environment (Video) Read More »
Why do you need to stay safe and well? This question is at the heart of building a strong safety culture, both for yourself and those around you. In this video, we explore how identifying your personal ‘why’ can transform the way you approach safety every day. By thinking about what’s at stake—your health, family, …
Create your WHY for safety and wellbeing (Video) Read More »
This planner will help you plan and share meaningful safety stories with your team. By using the OWL model, you can highlight important lessons and make safety easy to understand. Follow the template to tell stories that engage your team and build a stronger safety culture.
This how to guide will help you share real life safety stories that resonate with your team. By following the OWL model, you can make safety lessons clear and memorable. This simple structure will help you connect with your team, reinforce key safety messages, and build a culture where safety is everyone’s priority.
With over 20 years of experience across the fitness, telco, and learning industries, Tauvaga brings a unique blend of energy, strategic thinking, and heart to helping businesses and individuals thrive.
Of Samoan, Italian, and Kiwi heritage, Tauvaga is grounded in the values of connection, service, and aiga (family). He carries with him the Samoan proverb “O le ala i le pule o le tautua” — leadership is achieved through service — a principle that guides how he shows up for people, teams, and communities.
These values have shaped his leadership journey, from heading high-performing teams as a Group Fitness Manager and National Manager of Group Fitness in New Zealand, to driving innovation and customer-led thinking as a Product and Proposition Lead at One New Zealand.
For over 15 years, Tauvaga has worked as a trainer and facilitator, designing learning experiences that shift thinking, lift capability, and build healthier, more connected workplaces. He has created coaching content, developed high-performing teams, and launched purpose-driven businesses that reflect his commitment to people and progress.
What drives him is creating real-world solutions—for people, for teams, and for the everyday challenges that hold us back. He brings a relational, grounded style to his work and a deep belief that leadership, done well, always begins with service.
As the Lead Learning Designer – Safety and Wellbeing at Real Learning, Zoe is on a mission to create real, lasting culture change in the organisations she partners with.
With a background in Human Resources and Employment Law, she brings a powerful blend of strategic thinking, creativity, and care to her work. Zoe draws on over a decade of experience in learning design to craft experiences that shift behaviour, influence culture, and deliver meaningful business outcomes.
In her role, Zoe leads the full end-to-end design process—collaborating with subject matter experts, managing stakeholders, and applying best practice in instructional design and learning technologies to deliver impactful, future-focused solutions.
Her recent work includes the design and rollout of enterprise-wide Safety Leadership and Frontline Safety programmes, helping organisations foster safer, stronger, and more connected workplaces.
Zoe also brings a deeply personal perspective to her work. Diagnosed with type one diabetes at age seven, she knows what it means to show up every day with resilience, preparation, and heart. That lived experience fuels her passion for designing learning that goes beyond compliance—programmes that truly support wellbeing, connection, and change that lasts.
To connect with Zoe, reach out at zoe@reallearning.co.nz. She’d love to hear from you.
Charlee brings a people-first mindset and a passion for growth to everything she does. With a background that spans leadership in retail, corporate mental health services, and five years shaping transformative programmes at Real Learning, she’s all about creating meaningful connections that help others thrive.
Originally from England, Charlee moved to Aotearoa 20 years ago and quickly made it home. Her career started in retail leadership before moving into the corporate space, where she worked her way from an administrative role to supporting GMs, doctors, and specialists in mental health and addiction services. These experiences shaped her deep understanding of people, systems, and what it takes to create positive impact.
At Real Learning, Charlee plays a pivotal role in delivering standout customer experiences and making sure every engagement is grounded in care, purpose, and impact. She believes in working hard and living fully – whether that’s through her role, time in the great outdoors, or adventuring with her whānau.
Her mantra? “You only get one shot at life, so make it count.” And she brings that energy to every part of her work.
Heidi believes learning should feel real – relevant, human, and rooted in what matters. It’s why she founded Real Learning: to create learning experiences that shift cultures, not just tick boxes.
With nearly 20 years of experience in learning and development, Heidi brings a rare blend of strategic thinking, creativity, and care. She has partnered with organisations across construction, retail, energy, banking, and beyond – designing tools and experiences that lead to real results: safer sites, stronger teams, better conversations, and more inclusive workplaces.
Heidi’s work is grounded in values – especially courage, connection, and impact. She’s not afraid to challenge thinking, ask bold questions, or have a laugh along the way. Whether she’s designing a leadership programme, building a board game, or coaching a facilitator, Heidi brings empathy, clarity, and a deep belief that people learn best when they feel seen, safe, and stretched.
What drives her is simple: helping people do their best work and go home safe, well, and proud of what they’ve built – together.
