Real Learning

Fletcher Building Safety Leadership

Fletcher Building engaged Real Learning to create a safety leadership programme aimed at shifting leaders’ mindsets towards safety, fostering a commitment-based safety culture within their teams.

The client

Fletcher Building Limited is one of the largest listed companies in New Zealand, manufacturing and distributing building products throughout New Zealand and across the Tasman. It is made up of 7 divisions that look after a total of 35 standalone businesses with 14000 people.

The challenge

After 5 fatalities over a short period of time, Fletcher Building approached Real Learning to create a safety leadership programme focusing on moving the leaders’ mindsets to safety, so they can lead their teams to a commitment-based safety culture. The programme needed to be easily customisable to suit the needs of over 2000 leaders, filtering from the Exec team to Frontline leaders.

The solution

The solution was a blend of online modules, leader led face to face learning sessions and leader led coaching. At the beginning the learners filled in a safety leadership self-reflection that they revisited again at the end. This became the basis of their safety action plan. Comprehensive facilitator and implementation guides were handed to the business so that people could customise the program as required. Look at this video that showcases our learning design.

The results

Safety Leadership became the gold standard for its truly authentic approach to changing hearts and minds. Now, 4 years on, Fletcher Building are seeing the results: their serious injuries are down 86%, the overall injury rates have dropped in half (that’s nearly 150 people who go home to their families without harm every year), and people mindset (the belief that we could prevent all injuries) has more than doubled to 89%.

What they had to say

Rita Slogrove

Learning and development manager at Fletcher Building

Heidi and the team at Real Learning really understood us as a business and what we needed. Heidi’s skills as both a facilitator and instructional designer are exceptional, and she really knows how to design to enhance the learner’s journey. The visuals they create are strong, meaningful, and hugely impactful. The work that Real Learning has done for us has made a huge difference to us and the project. Our participants have called this “the best programme I have ever attended” and this positive sentiment is consistent across the Australian division

Wendi Bains

Chief Health and Safety Officer at Fletcher Building Limited

When we had to reset our safety culture, we knew we needed a partner who could help us design a programme that would help shift the mindset of our people, not just once but forever. Now, 4 years on, we are seeing the results: our serious injuries are down 86%, our overall injury rates have dropped in half (that’s nearly 150 people who go home to their families without harm every year), and our mindset (our belief that we could prevent all injuries) has more than doubled to 89%. I can’t imagine we would have been able to accomplish what we have without Heidi and the Real Learning team. Across the business, not just in safety, our learning style has shifted completely so that every learning activity we do is in the same style that we learned from Real Learning – line led, filled with reflection, coaching moments, and action pit stops. I would absolutely encourage anyone who wants to shift their culture to have a chat with Heidi and the team – they are absolutely the best partners on any project.

Trusted by many

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Tauvaga Siolo

Development and Delivery Lead

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.

Eloise Tzimas

Facilitator / Transformation Coach

Elosie is a seasoned coach with a passion for empowering individuals to unlock their full potential. Eloise specialises in communication skills development, professional and performance coaching, and working with individuals, teams and business owners. With a unique blend of expertise, empathy, and a results-driven approach, she has become a sought-after person for those seeking personal and professional transformation.

Matt Wilmot

Virtuoso Media

Virtuoso Media provides full service video production with in-house creative, scripting, directing, shooting & editing. We produce premium content for filmmakers, corporations and private businesses. Capturing the perfect shot is an art and something we are very passionate about. Our keen eye for composition, extensive experience in production & post-production, and relentless quest for perfection ensures that everything we deliver is of exceptional quality.

Nina Velleman

Bunkhouse Graphic Design

Nina is a Senior Graphic Designer and co-director of Bunkhouse Graphic Design with over 20 years of experience working in the industry. She takes pride in her innovative approach to creative ideas and is passionate about visual communication. As the Graphic Designer for Real Learning, nothing gives her more pleasure than creating collateral that enhances and supports the learning programmes and workshops for greater engagement and understanding.

Frans Plummer

Leadership Coach and Facilitator

Frans natural interest in people led to his academic roots in organisational behaviour, completing his honours in Industrial Psychology. His professional career has been a journey through change-, project-, sales-, and general management for start-ups, NGO's, charitable trusts, SMEs, and multinational corporations. These days Frans spreads his time and energy across business development, life coaching for men, couples, kids, and business teams, dispute resolution & mediation, and training facilitation. Frans is keenly interested in the development of human potential and is passionate about every session being an opportunity for further personal and professional growth.

Zoe Burt

Lead Learning Designer - SAFETY AND WELLBEING

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 Neubrandt

Customer Experience Lead

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.

Getting projects out the door is Charlee’s passion, but she also gets involved with the instruction design and development, applying her background in sales and customer service to the programmes.

Heidi Lance

Director and Head of Learning

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.

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