Audrey Young – HR Team Leader

Audrey joined ECCC in June 2011 initially as a Senior Employment Relations Consultant. She joined the Human Resource steam in November 2011 as Team Leader and manages a team of 5 consultants.

Audrey has extensive experience in Human Resource Management across both the private and public sector including the health sector, education, conservation, not for profit organisations, and more recently the oil and gas industry in Taranaki. She has also worked internationally and has specialist experience managing an international workforce.

Outside of her Human Resource career Audrey has experience as a counsellor and therapist as well as an independent consultant.

With a wide range of experience Audrey is able to offer members advice and support in human resources, employment relations and occupational health and a safety. Based in the Taranaki Branch she enjoys getting to know the local employers and understanding their unique business challenges.

She is particularly interested in recruitment projects, managing change and dealing with disputes and grievances.  She enjoys working alongside managers to bring the best out of their employees through excellent management practices and creating a positive workplace culture.

With many years of experience Audrey is able to provide helpful, solutions based advice on complex employment issues.

Audrey has a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree majoring in Industrial Psychology.

Sheridan Dalziel – Managing Consultant

Sheridan initially joined EMA Central in 1998 in the Employment Relations Team. She left in 2002 to travel to London where she developed generalist HR experience in the financial services industry.

In the UK, her roles involved project managing HR initiatives and partnering with business groups to develop and support their HR practices. Upon returning to NZ, Sheridan undertook HR management roles at the Ministry of Social Development and ACC. At ACC she led the Employee Relations and Recruitment team and worked closely with senior managers to roll out HR initiatives and projects. Sheridan returned to EMA Central in July 2009 as an Approved Provider.

Sheridan has extensive knowledge across a wide range of HR areas and understands the different challenges of working in the public and private sector. Sheridan believes having a holistic view of the impact of HR policies and practices helps to ensure actions and initiatives are successful and aligned with the overall goals of an organisation.

Diana Koorts – Senior Consultant

Diana joined the ECCC New Plymouth team in August 2003. Having lived in Taranaki since 1993, she has a keen interest in the local economy and community. She has assisted both large and smaller employers in a diverse range of industries, including private and public health, retail, local government, manufacturing, education and not-for profit organisations based across the Taranaki region.

Primarily, Diana's responsibilities have centred on the following:

• Daily advice and assistance to ECCC clients on all aspects of HR, from drafting of Job Descriptions to HR Audits, Recruitment and Selection, Performance Appraisals, Induction, Remuneration as well as HR Employee Handbook/Policy Manual development.
• Extensive work in helping our clients with reviewing and drafting their employment agreements, running disciplinary processes and leading disciplinary meetings and mediations.
• Advising and assisting employers on a wide range of employment relations issues, particularly on performance management, restructuring and redundancy processes and strategies.
• Carrying out in-depth investigations on behalf of our ECCC Clients.

Diana has also worked on long-term secondments from time to time for ECCC at two of Taranaki's prominent organisations in their Human Resources Departments - providing assistance to management on all HR and ER related matters such as a major company restructure, collective bargaining, developing/updating policy manuals, pandemic planning etc.

Prior to joining ECCC, Diana worked in Human Resources in construction and engineering consulting organisations, as well as enjoying a stint in the Real Estate industry.

Diana holds a tertiary qualification in Personnel Management and completed the Massey University paper on Employment Relations Management in 2006.

Kristy Elstone – Senior Consultant

Kristy joined ECCC in July 2008 and brought with her a wide variety of experiences. This included completing her Bachelor of Business Studies (majoring in Business Law) during her seven years with the Royal New Zealand Air Force and several years in an administrative and HR role at a regional sports trust. She has recently completed her Post Graduate Diploma in Business & Administration (majoring in Human Resource Management) through Massey University.

Kristy enjoys being able to provide valuable and practical guidance to local members by helping them put in place robust HR systems and processes. With previous payroll experience, she has an excellent practical understanding of holiday and parental leave legislation. Kristy is also a keen trainer, and has run several half-day seminars on employment matters. Her particular areas of interest include recruitment and selection, induction, performance management and dispute resolution, including representing employers at mediation.

Kristy is currently completing her Masters of Management (HRM) and is researching the effect of the 1st April 2011 legislation changes on small and medium sized employers.

Melanee MacPhee – Senior Consultant

Mel initially joined ECCC in 2005 as a consultant in the Employment Relations team after working in HR roles at the NZ Defence Force and the NZ Fire Service, and prior to that in the travel industry. After leaving in September 2008 for a period of maternity leave and then working as HR Manager for an international healthcare organisation, Mel returned to ECCC in August 2010 as a consultant in the Human Resources team.

As an HR generalist, Mel has experience in a wide range of Human Resource Management areas including recruitment & selection, remuneration, performance management, disciplinary investigations, personal grievances, policy development, organisational culture, restructuring and agreement negotiation.

Mel has a Bachelor of Commerce & Administration majoring in Human Resource Management and a Bachelor of Science majoring in Psychology from Victoria University.

Debbie Yates – Consultant

Debbie Joined ECCC in April 2011 as an HR Consultant, after spending some time working as an independent consultant on HR and management issues. Debbie has previously held HR and management roles in the Health and Education sectors., and has had over 20 years experience in the not-for profit sector.

Debbie is particularly interested in managing conflict though facilitation: mediation and restorative processes. She is also interested in recruitment and induction and positive performance management, and sees the value in getting that fence at the top of the hill well secured, rather than having to provide an ambulance at the bottom of the same hill! However, she does offer a range of other services including assistance with Culture Survey’s; Succession planning; assistance with “Difficult Conversations”: development of policies and procedures; employee handbooks and exit interviews.

Debbie works as a trainer for ECCC, providing management and “soft skill” training.

Debbie has a BA in Politics and  Teaching Diploma and is about to complete a Business Diploma in Alternative Dispute Resolution.