PANELLISTS:
Denva Wren, Head of Safety, Health & Wellbeing, Woolworths
Keri- Anne Martin, Health, Safety & Risk Manager, Fuller 360
Karen Naude, Group Safety Manager, Port of Tauranga
Tersia Van Der Merwe, Head of Workplace Health & Safety, Bupa Villages & Aged Care – NZ
MODERATOR:
Traditional safety management has often focused on compliance, procedures, and checklists, but in today’s complex workplaces, that approach no longer drives true safety outcomes. This session explores how New Zealand’s leading organisations are shifting from a compliance-driven mindset to one grounded in trust, empowerment, and authentic leadership.
Through honest discussion and shared experiences, this panel will examine what it means to build trust-based safety cultures where people feel genuinely valued and engaged. Attendees will gain insights into how psychological safety, leadership transparency, and shared accountability can transform safety from a tick-box exercise into a strategic enabler of performance and wellbeing.
Key Takeaways
- Learn how New Zealand safety leaders are replacing control with connection, building cultures that encourage honesty, openness, and learning.
- Understand how to balance regulatory expectations with adaptive, values-led approaches that inspire commitment rather than compliance.
- Explore how leaders can cultivate ownership and engagement at every level, enabling teams to take proactive responsibility for safety outcomes.
- Gain actionable insights to foster workplaces built on respect, communication, and collaboration, where safety is lived, not mandated.
