Mr Apple Careers site

Safety Advisor at Mr Apple Careers site (Whakatu, New Zealand)

Mr Apple Careers site· Whakatu, New Zealand·

Job description

Help create a safer workplace. Influence leaders. Make a real impact.

At Mr Apple, we're passionate about growing the best people as well as the best apples.

We are looking for a Safety Advisor who is practical, people-focused and passionate about creating safe, healthy workplaces. Someone who can build trusted relationships, influence positive change and bring health, safety and wellbeing to life across our horticulture business.

You’ll be a trusted advisor, coach and problem solver, partnering with leaders and teams to build safety capability, strengthen critical risk management and drive meaningful, sustainable safety outcomes.

With a primary focus on Orchard Operations, you will also support Post Harvest and Business Support functions and play a key role in bringing our Safety & Wellbeing Roadmap to life, helping embed a proactive, risk-based approach to health and safety across Mr Apple.

What you'll be doing:

You'll be a trusted advisor across our sites, helping to identify risks, improve safety performance, and champion best practice throughout the business.

  • Partnering with managers and employees to build health and safety capability and ownership across the business
  • Supporting leaders and teams to complete robust Critical Control Verifications (CCVs) and strengthen critical risk management
  • Supporting the identification, assessment and management of hazards, risks and critical controls
  • Leading and facilitating investigations into incidents, near misses and workplace events in partnership with site leaders
  • Turning investigation findings and operational learnings into practical improvements
  • Monitoring safety performance and using data and insights to identify trends and drive continuous improvement
  • Supporting compliance with company standards, SOPs, legislative requirements and industry best practice
  • Supporting contractor management, inductions, audits, inspections and critical risk verification activities
  • Coaching and supporting leaders to have effective safety conversations and confidently manage health and safety within their areas
  • Partnering with People & Culture and Communications to share safety stories, lessons learned and positive initiatives across the business

What you'll bring:

We're looking for a safety professional who combines technical expertise with strong relationship-building skills and a genuine desire to make a difference.

You'll have:

  • Minimum 3 years’ experience in a Health & Safety Advisor, Safety Business Partner or similar role
  • A recognised qualification in Workplace Health and Safety Practice (level 3 or above) or equivalent
  • Strong working knowledge of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and associated regulations
  • Proven ability to build trusted relationships and influence leaders at all levels
  • Experience leading workplace investigations and implementing meaningful corrective actions
  • Strong understanding of risk assessment, critical risk management and control verification principles
  • Experience conducting audits, inspections and compliance reviews
  • Excellent communication, coaching and facilitation skills
  • Strong analytical skills and the ability to identify trends and opportunities from data
  • Confidence working across multiple sites, priorities and stakeholders
  • Experience within horticulture, agriculture, forestry, manufacturing, food processing or other operational environments would be advantageous

Why you'll love working with us:

  • A highly visible role where you can genuinely influence culture and outcomes
  • Varied, hands-on work across orchards, packhouses, cool stores and support functions
  • A supportive People & Culture team that values collaboration, innovation and fresh thinking
  • The chance to work for New Zealand's largest vertically integrated apple grower, backed by NZX-listed Scales Corporation

If you’re passionate about health, safety and wellbeing and want to work alongside good people to make a practical difference every day, we’d love to hear from you. Applications close Sunday 11th October.

Why work at Mr Apple Careers site

  • Culture: Strong emphasis on being “one team,” with values of integrity, respect, diversity, and continuous improvement. The company celebrates difference and fosters a sense of belonging.
  • Work Environment: Based in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, with roles spanning orchards, packhouses, coolstores, and a business support office in Whakatu. Roles range from hands-on seasonal work to professional careers in IT, finance, sales, marketing, logistics, and people & culture.
  • Growth & Development: Strong commitment to “always growing” — both apples and people. The company invests in training and career development across all teams.
  • Diversity & Inclusion: Actively embraces a richly diverse team, with a significant RSE programme bringing workers from Pacific nations. The Head of People & Culture leads a dedicated Health & Safety & Wellbeing team.
  • Work Arrangement: On-site roles based in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. Roles span seasonal/casual (packhouse, orchard, coolstore) to permanent professional positions (IT, finance, sales, marketing, HR).
  • Notable Perks: Being part of a globally recognised brand; working in a beautiful region; opportunity to work across the full apple supply chain; strong focus on employee wellbeing and pastoral care for seasonal workers.

Application questions