What happens when organisations stop treating unions as opponents and start treating them as strategic partners?

In this episode of HR Unlocked, Lisa Oakley sits down with Phil Doak, General Manager People & Legal at Ports of Auckland, to explore high-performance, high-engagement workplaces, industrial relations, organisational transformation, and the role trust plays in driving business success.

Drawing on decades of experience in employment relations, law, and organisational leadership, Phil shares the journey behind Ports of Auckland's transformation and the practical systems used to build stronger relationships between leaders, employees, and unions.

From the concept of "365 ER" to interest-based bargaining, psychological safety, and collaborative problem-solving, this conversation challenges traditional approaches to workplace relationships and demonstrates how engagement, productivity, safety, and performance can work together.

What You'll Learn

• What high-performance, high-engagement workplaces look like in practice

• How Ports of Auckland approached cultural transformation

• Why industrial relations should be viewed as a year-round activity, not just bargaining

• The difference between positions and interests in workplace negotiations

• How to build trust and improve relationships between unions and management

• Why employee involvement drives better business outcomes

• The role psychological safety plays in performance and safety

• How leaders can create environments where people genuinely contribute

• Why collaboration is becoming increasingly important in modern workplaces

Key Takeaways

• Strong workplace relationships are built through trust, consistency, and communication

• High performance and high engagement are mutually reinforcing, not competing priorities

• Interest-based problem-solving creates better outcomes than positional bargaining

• Effective industrial relations begin long before collective bargaining starts

• Employee involvement leads to stronger safety, productivity, and business performance outcomes

• Psychological safety enables people to raise concerns, challenge ideas, and contribute solutions

• Leaders build trust through actions, not words

• Sustainable cultural transformation requires systems, structure, and ongoing commitment

About Phil Doak

Phil Doak is General Manager People & Legal at Ports of Auckland and has spent much of his career working at the intersection of employment relations, organisational performance, and leadership.

With a background in employment law and extensive experience in highly unionised environments, Phil has been instrumental in helping organisations move from adversarial industrial relations models to more collaborative, high-engagement approaches.

He is a passionate advocate for interest-based problem-solving, employee involvement, and building workplace cultures that support both business performance and positive employee outcomes.

Why This Episode Matters

Many organisations continue to view industrial relations, engagement, and performance as separate conversations.

This episode demonstrates how trust, collaboration, and employee involvement can become powerful drivers of organisational success.

Whether you're a leader, HR professional, business owner, union representative, or people manager, this conversation offers practical lessons on creating workplaces where performance, engagement, and strong relationships can thrive together.

Resources & Links

• Ports of Auckland

• Connect with Phil Doak on LinkedIn

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AI isn’t just changing how we work — it’s changing how we think, behave, and relate to each other.

In this episode of HR Unlocked, Lisa Oakley is joined by Melissa Crawford, futurist and Director of Tech with Heart, to explore the human side of technological change.

With a rare combination of deep technology expertise and psychological insight, Melissa brings a fresh perspective to the future of work — not focused on tools or tactics, but on the subtle behavioural shifts AI is already creating.

From reduced tolerance for conflict to changing expectations of feedback, leadership, and performance, this conversation challenges leaders and HR professionals to think differently about what’s coming next — and what needs to change now.

What You’ll Learn

• How AI is reducing friction — and why that matters for behaviour and performance

• The psychological impact of AI on conflict, feedback, and resilience

• Why AI often reinforces thinking instead of challenging it

• What leaders need to understand about human behaviour in an AI-enabled workplace

• Why traditional career pathways may no longer be relevant

• How to stay employable and adaptable over the next 5–15 years

• The importance of building capability, not relying on stability

• Emerging signals around physical AI and workforce design

Key Takeaways

• AI is shaping behaviour — not just productivity

• Reduced friction can lower resilience and tolerance for disagreement

• Leaders must actively create challenge and critical thinking

• Career planning is shifting from fixed pathways to continuous capability building

• Future readiness is about adaptability, not certainty

• The human element of work will become more important, not less

About Melissa Crawford

Melissa Crawford is a futurist and Director of Tech with Heart, working at the intersection of people and technology.

With two technology degrees, a Master of Science in Psychology underway, and formal foresight training from the Institute for the Future and the University of Houston, she brings both academic rigour and real-world insight to the future of work.

Melissa has worked across New Zealand’s largest organisations in tech, airline, banking, FMCG, retail, education, and energy. She advises leaders, speaks globally, and sits on governance and advisory boards.

In 2025, she was recognised on the HRD Hotlist and received the Emerging Directors Award from the Institute of Directors.

Why This Episode Matters

If you’re leading people, shaping culture, or thinking about the future of work, this episode will challenge how you view AI — shifting the focus from tools to human impact.

Resources & Links

• Specialising in the Intersection of Future Technology and People

• Melissa Crawford | LinkedIn

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does good people practice really look like in complex, human-centred environments?

In this episode of HR Unlocked, Lisa Oakley is joined by Gil Sewell, Chief People & Culture Officer at Ember Korowai Takitini. With over 30 years’ experience across the UK, Europe, and Aotearoa New Zealand, Gil brings a grounded, practical perspective on leadership, culture, and organisational effectiveness.

From global corporates like PwC and Fonterra to the mental health and addictions sector, Gil’s career has shaped a clear belief: people strategy only works when it makes sense for the business.

This conversation explores what happens when you move beyond theory and into real-world complexity — where communication, context, and capability truly determine outcomes.

What You’ll Learn

• Why good organisations are built through good conversations

• How organisational context shapes what “good” HR and leadership looks like

• The difference between commercial thinking and an enterprise mindset

• What working in the mental health and NGO sector really involves

• How mental health and neurodiversity show up in performance and employment situations

• Why communication and approach can make or break outcomes

• Lessons from a non-linear career path across sectors and geographies

Key Takeaways

• There is no one-size-fits-all approach to people strategy

• Context matters — what works in corporate doesn’t always translate to NGOs

• Strong people practice requires an enterprise-wide perspective, not just commercial focus

• Communication is often the difference between resolution and escalation

• Mental health and neurodiversity require thoughtful, practical leadership — not just policy

About Gil Sewell

Gil Sewell is Chief People & Culture Officer at Ember Korowai Takitini and believes good organisations are built through good conversations.

She has spent more than 30 years working with leaders across the UK, Europe, and Aotearoa New Zealand, helping organisations navigate change and build cultures where people understand what matters and can do their best work.

Her career spans executive roles in health, professional services, and global corporates including PwC and Fonterra, as well as founding and running her own consultancy.

Why This Episode Matters

If you’re working in HR, leadership, or people and culture, this episode offers a practical lens on what it really takes to lead well in complex environments — especially where mental health, capability, and organisational context intersect.

Resources & Links

• Ember Korowai Takitini

• Gil Sewell | LinkedIn

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.