Bona Fide Consulting

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Bona Fide Consulting

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LLB. AAMINZ Mediator. HR Advisor. Employment Relations | Recruitment | Dispute Resolution | Training & Workshops | Coaching

Working collaboratively with business leaders & teams on -

- Strategy - Vision, Purpose, Goals & Action Plans
- Organisational Change
- Emerging Leaders Programmes
- Team Culture & Engagement
- DiSC Profiling & Workshops
- Strengths-based executive/career coaching
- Workplace Wellbeing
- Recruitment
- Psychometric testing
- Interview skills training (employer & candidate)

Also available to assist Employers in all HR issues including -

- Performance Management
- Disputes
- Disciplinary Issues
- Conflict resolution & mediation
- HR administration, including audits of Individual Employment Agreements & Workplace Policies to ensure your business is protected and complies with relevant legislation. Whether you need help with a one-off project or scenario, or ongoing HR support for your business, we are here to help you take your business to the next level & achieve results through your people.

22/10/2026

Want fewer grievances at work? 🤔 You could try removing a few letters instead...
Take the I, E, V and N out of grievance, and look what’s left: Grace.

Leading with Grace looks like removing -

🔹 Instant judgements
🔹 Ego
🔹 Venting
🔹 Negative stories

None of these are a big deal on their own. But left unchecked, they quietly chip away at trust, and that’s often where grievances begin.

Who could you offer a little grace to this week?

To learn about our range of Leadership Programmes and Coaching call Pip on 021 474 736 or email [email protected].

19/10/2026

Ever noticed how a colleague who’s late is “disorganised”, but when you’re late it’s “the traffic”? 🚗

There’s a name for that: the fundamental attribution error. It means putting other people’s behaviour down to their character, while putting our own down to our circumstances.

We see our own full picture: the sick kid, the deadline, the bad night’s sleep. With others, we only see the moment. So, our brain fills the gap with a story, and it’s rarely a generous one. At work, that story shapes how we give feedback, handle conflict, and sometimes even how we start a formal process. Getting it wrong costs trust.

Next time you catch yourself making a snap judgement, try this:
- Test the assumption. What else could explain this?
- Ask before you decide. “Is everything okay?” goes a long way.
- Offer a little grace. It’s what you’d want for yourself.

If your team could use some help having these conversations, I’d love to chat.

16/10/2026

Word of the day: Perspicacious (per-spi-KAY-shus)

We all know someone like this. The leader who reads the room before the meeting starts. The manager who knows exactly how to deliver feedback so it lands. The colleague who can calm a tense conversation in two sentences.

Here's the good news: perspicacity isn't just a gift. It's a skill, and DiSC is one of the most powerful tools I know for building it.

DiSC helps you recognise how people prefer to communicate, make decisions and handle pressure:

🟢 D: direct, results-focused, wants the bottom line
🔴 i: enthusiastic, people-oriented, thrives on energy and ideas
🔵 S: steady, supportive, values stability and trust
🟡 C: careful, analytical, wants accuracy and detail

Once you can read these styles in yourself and others, you stop guessing. Conversations get easier, conflict gets smaller, and teams start to click.

Want to be more perspicacious? Let's talk about a DiSC profile for you or your team.

📞 021 474 736

15/10/2026

"So, what do you do?" I get asked this a lot, and the honest answer is simple: I solve people problems - the team that isn't quite gelling, the performance issue nobody wants to raise, the restructure that needs to be done properly.

For 20 years I've worked across employment law, HR, mediation and coaching. I now partner with NZ businesses across the whole employee lifecycle, from recruitment to offboarding. The snapshot below shows how I can help, including managing complex employment relations matters and my six-step team development programme.

If something's keeping you up at night, let's chat. Book a free, no-obligation call. Send me a message or email [email protected]

Bold conversations. Brave leadership. Better business.

14/10/2026

Recently I sat down with two colleagues who once worked well together, but could now barely stand to be in the same room. There was no single blow-up. Instead, it was a slow build of little things: a missed handover, a comment taken the wrong way, an email that felt cold.

It wasn't an easy meeting. There were tears and raised voices. But we created space, and they listened. They accepted the roles they had each played. They challenged the stories they'd been telling themselves about each other. And they left sharing a few laughs and making plans for coffee before their next shift together!

Workplace conflict rarely comes from bad people. More often, it's good people stuck in a pattern neither of them chose. Mediation gives them a safe place to step out of it, and the earlier it happens, the easier the repair.

If the little things are piling up in your team, let's talk before they become something bigger. I offer confidential, independent mediation for workplaces across New Zealand.

E: [email protected] or call 021 474 736

11/10/2026

This recent ERA decision highlights the intricacies of fair process when restructuring. The business had real financial pressure, and disestablishing the role was a legitimate option. Yet the Authority found the redundancy was both procedurally and substantively unjustified, because:

- The employee’s ACC injury and sick leave were scored against him
- Colleagues were told he was “at risk” before he’d even had a meeting.
- He first saw his scores in a 10-minute meeting, with no real chance to respond.

The cost: $20,000 for hurt and humiliation. The twist? The employee had already moved on to a higher-paying role.

This case is a great reminder that a good reason justifies a restructure. Only a fair process justifies the dismissal.

https://determinations.era.govt.nz/assets/elawpdf/2026/2026-NZERA-729.pdf

08/10/2026

Some places reset you instantly.

Moments like this give me space to think, to reflect, and to be grateful for the life we get to live and the work I get to do.

My work sits where people and employment law meet. Whether I'm facilitating a team workshop, guiding an employer through a tricky process, or mediating a dispute, the goal is the same: create enough calm and clarity for people to reconnect and move forward.

Good process protects everyone. Real connection is what makes it work.

Where's your reset place? For me today, it was the stunning shore of Lake Hāwea.

01/10/2026

Going country… 🌾

For the rest of the school holidays, I’m pressing pause and properly switching off - something I’m not very good at.

But, the laptop is closed.
The out of office is on.
The phone is for personal calls only.

It’s time to recharge, reset and enjoy the simple things; time with family and friends, fresh air, muddy boots and some of my favourite places.

No emails. No work. No schedule.
Just being present and enjoying the break. 🤎

See you back on the 12th!

27/09/2026

School holidays. Birthdays. Extra kids. Meetings. Deadlines. Sports tournaments. And somehow everyone still needs feeding. 😂

This is the reality of trying to keep all the balls in the air while the usual school-term routine disappears.

It’s messy. It’s busy. It’s noisy. But it’s also the good stuff.

If you’re in the same boat these holidays, remember, sometimes just getting through the day is enough. 🥰

10/09/2026

Yesterday was a great reminder that good communication is at the heart of every great team.

I had the pleasure of working with a fantastic team in a stunning location, delivering a practical session focused on effective communication and navigating conflict, building on their earlier Dots workshop.

We explored how we respond under pressure and how to have the tough conversations that need to be had.

Lots of honest discussion, plenty of laughs and great engagement from the team. Thank you for having me!

Want a team that communicates better and handles conflict well? Let’s talk.

Address

Christchurch
7615

Telephone

+6421474736

Website

http://www.bonafideconsulting.co.nz/

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MLH
595 Halswell Junction Road Hornby

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