Posts by admin
The quiet return of reliability as a hiring priority
This is highly relevant across NZ right now, especially in construction, manufacturing, logistics, and engineering. After a few years where businesses were desperately filling gaps, many employers are shifting back toward: attendance attitude consistency communication coachability Not just qualifications. That conversation is happening everywhere quietly in industry at the moment. Reliability is making a comeback For a while there, many businesses were just trying to get people through the door. The labour shortages following COVID changed hiring behaviour across a lot of industries. Employers had little choice but to move quickly, lower barriers, and focus on filling critical gaps. Now [...]
Meet James McLennan
How did you get to where you are today, what’s your story? Well, the story of the company starts back in 45 with my granddad and his brother. They came back from the war and started an engineering business. They were doing crushing and general engineering, then moved into quarry work, crushing plants, conveyor systems, road compactors, all the sort of work happening at the time. Then there was a meeting in the early 70s between my grandfather and a fellow from America who built air bridges. There is a story that they met on a plane and were having [...]
Launching apps
Key Skills are launching 2 new apps, 1 for employers and 1 for our workforce, details below Employer hub One simple place to manage your workforce with us. The Key Skills Employer Hub is your direct line to everything you need — whether it’s booking staff, reporting an incident, organising a site visit or ordering PPE. Scan. Sign up. Add to home screen. Done. What you can do inside • Submit a temp job order in seconds • Request permanent recruitment support • Report an accident or incident immediately • Access induction information • Book ConstructSafe assessments • Request PPE [...]
Meet Norm Tufue
Norm Tufue’s career is a story of steady progression, commitment, and learning on the job. Starting work straight out of school, Norm built his experience on the job, moved to New Zealand to start a family, and worked his way into leadership through showing up, learning, and taking responsibility when opportunities arose. How did you get to where you are today? What’s your story? I left school and got a job as a storeman in a supermarket. I couldn’t afford to go to university, so I told my parents I’d get a job instead. After a while, I decided I [...]
AI might speed things up but it won’t shake hands
2025 has been the year of smarter, faster, everything. AI tools, automation, dashboards - you name it, every industry is chasing efficiency, and recruitment’s no different. I’ve read the same articles everyone else has. Big global firms are using AI to write job ads in a few minutes, analyse hiring trends, and process thousands of CVs at a time. Their line is that AI isn’t here to replace humans, just to “make humans better at being human.” I get the appeal. Done well, AI can absolutely tidy up parts of the job process that take time. The admin, the drafts, [...]
Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi: What’s being built and why it matters
Te Awa Kairangi / Hutt River runs through the middle of the valley and the lives of the people who call this place home. It shapes the land, provides water, and gives the community a space to walk, cycle, fish and unwind. But it also has a long history of flooding and as storms and extreme weather become more common, the risks to homes, businesses and infrastructure have been increasing. Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi is a major, multi-year programme designed to change that. It brings together mana whenua, regional and local government, and national transport agencies to [...]
