SHW Business Partner | Wellington or Palmerston North

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\nTitle: SHW Business Partner | Wellington or Palmerston North\n

SHW Business Partner – Above Rail Central

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• Drive safety leadership across KiwiRail’s Above Rail operations – Freight operations, mechanical workshops and container terminal sites
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• Permanent role supporting our Central region, based in Wellington or Palmerston North
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• Partner with leaders to embed culture, manage risk, and improve safety outcomes
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KiwiRail is committed to putting safety, health and wellbeing at the forefront of everything we do. As our SHW Business Partner – Above Rail Central, you will play a key role in partnering with operational leaders to strengthen safety performance across our Above Rail network. Reporting to the SHW General Manager, you’ll act as a trusted advisor—working closely with frontline leaders and teams to embed strong safety practices, lift capability, and support the delivery of critical risk programmes in a fast-paced operational environment. This is a highly visible, hands‑on role where your ability to influence and coach will directly impact how safety is experienced day‑to‑day across the business.

\nWhat you’ll be doing:\n

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• Partnering with operational leaders to embed safety, health and wellbeing practices across Above Rail
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• Coaching and influencing frontline leaders to build strong safety capability and culture
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• Supporting the implementation of critical risk management and safety initiatives
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• Providing insights and reporting to improve safety performance and decision‑making
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• Supporting incident management and investigations to ensure learning and continuous improvement
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• Driving initiatives that strengthen engagement, ownership and accountability for safety
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• Working collaboratively across teams to ensure consistent, practical safety outcomes
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• Working as part of the wider SHW Team and Above Rail SHW Team to support KiwiRail on its journey with Line‑Led Safety
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• Solid experience in a Safety, Health & Wellbeing role within a complex and dynamic operational or high‑risk environment – ideally Rail
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• Strong coaching and influencing capability, with the ability to build trust at all levels
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• Experience supporting leaders with risk management and safety performance improvement
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• Ability to translate data into meaningful insights and actions
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• Resilience and adaptability in a fast‑paced, complex environment
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• Collaborative, pragmatic approach with strong stakeholder engagement skills
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• Relevant SHW qualification (e.g. NEBOSH or equivalent)
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• Full NZ Driver’s Licence and willingness to travel across the region
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\nNōu te rourou | What’s in it for you:\n

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• Competitive salary plus 4% KiwiSaver contribution
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• Discounted medical insurance and staff travel benefits
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• Access to the NZ Rail Staff Welfare Trust
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• Ongoing development and career progression opportunities
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• A chance to make a real impact in a nationally significant organisation
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• Supportive, values‑driven team culture
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\nKua rite, kia rite | Ready to make a difference?\n

Bring your expertise and passion for safety to help shape how KiwiRail delivers safer outcomes across our Above Rail operations.

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Applications close: Sunday 12th of July 2026