Speakers
HIRECON24 attracts many of New Zealands best speakers…
Melodie Robinson
Opening Keynote Speaker
Melodie Robinson is a well-known sports journalist, commentator and former international rugby union player for the Black Ferns.
Melodie is TVNZ’s General Manager, Sports and Events where she is leading the sport and event strategy for TVNZ’s coverage of global sporting events such as Rugby World Cup 2019, Paralympic Games 2020 and America’s Cup 2021. She is also the founder of The Wonderful Group, which supports women to advance their position and influence in the sports media industry. In 2020, Melodie was appointed the International Rugby Players representative on the Rugby World Cup Limited Board.
Melodie played rugby union at international level, winning two world cups with the Black Ferns. Playing blindside or openside flanker, she played in 18 tests with the Ferns from 1996 to 2002. While playing rugby at the elite level, she gained a BA from the University of Otago, as well as studying Journalism in Wellington. Her first work was in radio working at the press gallery in Wellington covering politics.
Her obvious ability and passion for sports led her to becoming the online sports producer for XtraMSN. While working at Xtra from 1998 to 2002, she produced innovative sports websites like All Blacks and Team New Zealand.
Melodie moved on to Sky Sports in 2002, where she became the world’s first female rugby commentator and was a key member of SKY Sports’ commentary team. With this role, she was involved in covering major sports for many years, including Olympics and Commonwealth Games, rugby and netball World Cup tournaments, Super Rugby and Mitre 10 Cup rugby.
In 2019, this unstoppable high-achiever completed an MBA at Auckland University’s Business School and became New Zealand’s first Maori Barbie as part of Mattel’s role model line.
Brent Carey
creating safe positive resilient workplaces, tackling online harm
Brent is the Chief Executive Officer of Netsafe, New Zealand’s online safety charity. He has broad and extensive experience in regulatory, privacy, safety and justice environments along with a good understanding of both local and global online safety ecosystems.
Garth Beker
Financial Positioning for your Hire Business
Garth is a born and raised ‘Mainlander’ from a shearing family in Waimate.
Garth left school and trained as a forest ranger with the NZ Forest Service working all over the country particularly Otago & Southland. He decided to extend the grey matter a bit and went to Massey University and did a commerce degree majoring in accounting & finance.
In 1995 he set up BFA with no clients and 1 staff member. BFA now employs over 50 people with 6 directors and 9 shareholder groups based in Taupo. Garth’s work takes him around the country with clients in Otago, Nelson, Wairarapa, Hawkes Bay, Gisborne and Bay of Plenty.
BFA has a strong focus on business advisory work as opposed to the traditional accounting firms only interested in keeping the score. Garth’s strengths are in working with clients around strategy, growth, succession and getting the business ‘sale-ready’. Garth is currently a Board member of the NZ Hunting & Fishing group.
Daniel Paul
Social Media 101
TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, Insta, X, YouTube? Why use social media to promote your business, how to use it effectively and which platform to use.
Daniel is a Fellow of the Public Relations Institute of NZ and the Strategic Director at The PR Company. He is a vastly experienced public relations and advocacy campaigner whose insights are grounded in over 40 years of experience working in and around Wellington’s political and policy landscape. He specialises in connecting clients to the influencers and policy makers of the day.
Joanna Saba
Inaugural Scholarship Winner 2023 – Festival Hire
Joanna is a vital member of the Festival Hire team as the Sales & Marketing Coordinator and has been there since 2021.
With a serious passion for events, she compliments the team with her kind and caring personality, her incredible customer service skills and ability to adapt, think quickly and always getting in there to get the job done.
Jo is an employee that you know you don’t get the privilege to call a team member often, she is a true gem!
Clive Thomson
Difficult Discussions, Disciplinaries, and Dismissals
With more than 30 years’ experience, Clive comes highly recommended for his delivery of pragmatic and practical solutions.
For more than 20 years he has led the EMA consulting team in the Bay of Plenty and Central North Island.
He has previously held senior HR roles in the health, metals manufacturing and wood processing industries.
Nicole Pluck
Family Business Association on Succession Planning
Nicole Pluck brings over 15 years of marketing and management experience, primarily within the community and not-for-profit sectors. As the New Zealand Manager of the Family Business Association, Nicole supports family businesses through providing education, networking opportunities, succession planning, and managing family dynamics.
In her role, Nicole actively oversees the strategic and administrative functions of the Association in New Zealand, ensuring a high standard of service to members, partners, the board, key stakeholders, and the wider sector. Her position requires a deep appreciation of the unique complexities of family businesses, particularly the intricate dynamics that arise from the interplay of family relationships, ownership, and management responsibilities.
Brought up in Nelson, Nicole initially worked with the Association in Australia before relocating back to New Zealand to help establish it in Aotearoa 5 years ago. During her 10 years in Australia, she also spent six years with the Australian Institute of Company Directors, gaining valuable experience that she now applies to her current role.
Angus Kennard
Family Business Association on Succession Planning
From its humble beginnings in the rural town of Bathurst, Australia, Kennards Hire has grown into the largest family-owned equipment hire business across Australia and New Zealand. With over 200 branches, and a team of more than 1,800 members, Kennards Hire is celebrated for its premium quality equipment, expert advice and well renowned service. The company leads the industry in safety innovation and exceptional customer experience, proudly marking 75 years in business last year.
Angus Kennard, a third-generation family member, shares the family’s succession journey and his extensive experience in the business. Angus served as CEO from 2016 to 2020 and has held leadership roles on the boards of Kennards Hire, Keneco, and the Kennards Hire Foundation. Gus is deeply passionate about innovation and navigating the challenges of disruption. During his tenure as CEO, he championed IoT innovation across Kennards’ 180 branches, managing 1,800 employees, over 100 suppliers, 100,000+ serialised assets, and thousands of clients. Gus started up and runs his own technology company Inauro, and through data and AI the platform helps automate how companies operate.
With an MBA from Sydney University, a Bachelor of Business, and numerous accolades for his entrepreneurial achievements, Gus is a thought leader in business strategy, growth, and innovation. He is also a sought-after speaker on performance through company culture which was implemented into Kennards Hire. Gus is Chair of the Family Business Association in Australia and a Director in NZ.
Mike Puru
Awards night MC
Much loved media personality, Mike Puru, is one of New Zealand’s most recognised and respected radio personalities. He is most well-known for his role as host of The Edge radio station for 20 years and is currently co-host of The Hits’ afternoon show, alongside Stacey Morrison.
Mike has worked in radio and television for over two decades having started his career on The Edge radio station in 1995. Mike has also been a guest presenter on Radio Live, a regular weather presenter for Newshub’s 6pm news show, hosted the first season of The Bachelor New Zealand and was the host of Three’s The CafÃ.
He has won the Paul Holmes Award for his contribution to radio in 2014 and the Best Breakfast Show Award in 2014 and 2016 at the NZ Radio Awards alongside co-hosts Jay Jay and Dominic Harvey.
