Health & Safety Advisor

About the Business

Gavins Limited is a family-owned Waikato agribusiness. With a dedicated team of up to 130 staff, our operations include transport, earthworks, agricultural contracting, engineering, stockfeed production, machinery maintenance, dairy farming, and high-tech horticulture.

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Health & Safety Advisor to take ownership of our safety management systems across all parts of the business. Reporting directly to the Business Manager, you will oversee, evaluate and develop our tools and systems to promote a practical safety culture.

This is not a desk-bound role. You will balance safety system management with a regular on-field presence — building trust with our staff, observing operations on the ground, providing support to Operations Managers to effectively lead safety in their areas and providing senior leadership with the information needed to make good decisions about health and safety.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Support: Partner and support the Operations Managers and Team Leads to manage everyday safety within the various areas of the business.

System Management: Manage and optimise our H&S app and other registers for logging incidents, tracking hazards, risks, and completing JSAs.

Risk & Compliance: Maintain the company hazard register, verify critical controls and manage regular internal audits for compliance against these critical controls.

Procedures & High-Risk Work: Collaborate directly with the various teams to further establish and maintain practical operating procedures and permit systems and ensure these procedures are adhered to.

Health & Training: Oversee the company-wide training and competency matrices, health monitoring, and company drug and alcohol programs.

Contractor Management: Oversee contractor pre-qualification, site setup and inductions, and daily check-in procedures.

Investigations & Reporting: Lead serious incident investigations and deliver comprehensive monthly safety performance updates to the senior leadership team.

Audits: Ensure compliance standards are managed to maintain Tōtika, PREQUAL and other specific client pre-qualification requirements. Lead the annual internal auditing of the company’s H&S system.

Skills and Experience

Industry Background: 5+ years of hands-on experience in either agriculture, transport, contracting, engineering, or heavy manufacturing.

Regulatory Knowledge: Sound understanding of the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) and its practical, sensible application.

Communication: Proven ability to communicate effectively and build trust with the varied teams and staff roles within the company. Comfortable in leading training sessions where required.

Autonomy: Strong self-management skills with the capacity to prioritise tasks across a complex, multi-faceted business.

Qualifications: A Level 6 Health & Safety qualification is highly advantageous.

Systems: Prior experience with Totika, SHE or similar is strongly preferred.

Pre-requisites

A full, clean New Zealand driver's licence (travel to work/customer sites will be required).

Valid, legal rights to work permanently in New Zealand.

Ability to pass a mandatory pre-employment drug and alcohol screen.

How to Apply

We think this is a full-time role but are open to considering alternative employment arrangements (e.g. 80% FTE) for the right candidate. We review applications as they arrive and may fill the role before the closing date.

Please click Apply Now to submit your CV and a cover letter detailing your suitability for this agribusiness environment.