Safety Starts at the Top: Lessons from Pike River and Beyond

Are you certain everyone in your business will go home safe at the end of the day?

The Pike River disaster is a harrowing reminder to business leaders of what happens when safety is not embedded at every level of an organisation. In the months leading up to the explosion, tensions between profit and safety had fatal consequences on the frontline.

Join us for an unmissable discussion with Neville Rockhouse, former Pike River Safety Manager. Through his personal story and learnings, this event will explore why safety culture is the only sustainable way forward - and how leaders must learn from these hard-won lessons.

Neville will challenge you to reflect:

• What does true leadership accountability look like?
• How do we move beyond compliance to a culture where every decision, from the boardroom to the coalface, protects people first?
• How do you empower safety professionals in an environment where profit takes precedence?

Following Neville’s presentation, we’ll open to a cross-sector panel. You’ll hear stories and insights, leader to leader, of proactive workplace safety culture development. EMA Employment Relations and Safety Manager Paul Jarvie will lead the collaborative discussion with Hayleigh Evett (Head of People & Culture, Red Badge Group), Chris Singleton (CEO, Waikato Milking Systems), and Rebecca Knowles (Director, Kaleidocare).

What you’ll take away:

• A clear understanding of the human and economic cost of harm in NZ.
• Leadership lessons from one of the country’s most significant safety failures.
• Real-world stories from businesses embedding safety culture today.
• Peer-to-peer learning and actionable steps to build on your own journey.

Safety culture means asking tough questions, listening to warning signs, and never assuming “it won’t happen here.” It means creating systems where every worker feels safe to speak up, and every leader is accountable for the lives in their care.

Your opportunity to lead change starts here.

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