People Business Partner (12 Months Fixed Term)

Company Description

Mai te hiku ki te taurapa, whitikina e te rā

From the tail of the fish to the tail of the waka, shines the sun

This whakataukī speaks to our journey across Aotearoa, one waka, one purpose, powered by the natural forces that sustain us. Meridian is Aotearoa’s largest renewable electricity producer, generating energy from the winds of Tāwhirimātea, the waters of Tangaroa, and the warmth of Tama-nui-te-rā.   

Together, our two brands, Meridian and Powershop retail electricity to more than 400,000 homes, businesses and farms across New Zealand. Now that’s a pretty impressive combo!   

Job Description

Mō te tūranga | What you’ll be doing

Are you a good human who loves helping other good humans thrive? We’re looking for a People Business Partner who enjoys getting alongside leaders, building trusted relationships and providing practical advice and coaching that makes a real difference. 

It’s a broad and varied role where you’ll get involved in: 

• Coaching and supporting leaders across a range of people matters 

• Employment relations, organisational change and performance 

• End to end Recruitment, role design, workforce planning and capability 

• Key People processes including remuneration and engagement 

• People projects and continuous improvement initiatives 

• Embracing Māori learning and practices and helping create opportunities for te ao Māori to be part of how we work every day 

• Helping leaders confidently navigate our people policies, processes and tools.  

This is a 12-month fixed term opportunity to cover a parental leave, based in Wellington.

Qualifications

Ngā pukenga kei a koe mō tenei tūranga | What you’ll bring  

You’ll be an experienced People/HR practitioner, with sound judgement and a practical, people-focused approach, and the confidence to navigate a wide range of people matters.

You’ll bring: 

• Broad HR experience, ideally across employment relations, change, engagement and recruitment 

• Strong knowledge of New Zealand employment law 

• Confidence coaching and influencing people leaders 

• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to understand what the business needs 

• Great communication and relationship-building skills 

• A practical, curious approach and an eye for how things could be done better 

• A genuine openness and commitment to growing your understanding of te ao Māori and encouraging others to do the same 

• The ability to juggle changing priorities and work comfortably with ambiguity. 

Additional Information

Ngā painga ki a mātou | What we can offer    

We value work/life balance, so our WFH and flexible work options (where possible) make things easier for you and your whānau. We also offer: 

• An attractive and competitive salary package 

• Enhanced leave provisions: three company paid days (over the holiday period) 

• Enhanced KiwiSaver contributions  

• Award winning wellbeing programme that provides support whenever and wherever you need it  

• Employee discounts off your power with Meridian, every bit counts  

• a one-off $400 payment to support your work from home set-up (if needed) 

• Excellent learning and development opportunities, we want you to be the best version of yourself and will help you get there!   

He aha koe i hono mai ai ki a mātou? | Why join us?   

We see energy as mauri the life force that connects people and place. Joining Meridian means contributing to kaitiakitanga, caring for the environment and future generations while empowering communities to flourish.   

We’re a team that believes in being in the waka together supporting each other, celebrating our wins, and learning from our challenges. You’ll be encouraged to show tū maia, to be bold, curious, and authentic in your mahi, and to practice rangatiratanga by leading with integrity and purpose, no matter your role.  

At Meridian, we embrace diversity and inclusion and ensure that everyone feels like they belong, are welcomed, feel valued, and feel comfortable to bring their whole selves to work. We want all our people to be the best that they can be, so we make sure that there’s room for everyone to be exactly who they are, and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences, including individuals with disabilities, diverse health needs, and those who identify as neurodiverse, because we believe our differences make us stronger. We believe that fun is good for you, and we make sure that our office vibe reflects that. We support each other and celebrate our successes. 

Tono mai ināianei tonu | Apply now   

All in all, we’re an awesome place to work. If this sounds like you and you want to bring your energy and use your power to make a difference (pun intended), then apply today and tell us why!   

To view the full Position Description, please click here. We encourage you to apply for this role — even if you don’t meet every requirement. At Meridian, we value diverse perspectives and believe that potential, passion, and a willingness to grow are really important. If you’re excited about this opportunity, we’d love to hear from you!   

If you’ve got any general enquiries, please email [email protected]. We're committed to being accessible and providing support if needed. Please get in touch if there are parts of our process you would like assistance with (process found here meridianenergy.co.nz/careers), we’re more than happy to help.

Advertising closes on 6 November 2026 (please note this is subject to change).