44 | Rising star shaping workplace culture Located outside of Gore, Mataura Valley Milk is a joint venture between New Zealand-headquartered The a2 Milk Company and Shanghaibased China Animal Husbandry Group. REGIONAL Mataura Valley Milk T T Karen Phelps A young Southland human resources professional has been recognised nationally for her work transforming workplace culture at one of New Zealand’s most specialised dairy nutrition businesses. Earlier this year Olivia McBain, HR Adviser at Mataura Valley Milk, was named a finalist in the Emerging HR Practitioner of the Year category at the 2026 Human Resources New Zealand (HRNZ) Awards. Located outside of Gore, Mataura Valley Milk is a joint venture between New Zealand-headquartered The a2 Milk Company and Shanghai-based China Animal Husbandry Group. It specialises in producing base powder for infant nutritional products and commodity and value-added powders sourced from local Southland suppliers with products sold to customers across the globe. Olivia began her career at the company as an HR Coordinator while she was completing a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Business Psychology through Massey University. Promoted to HR Adviser, she has since led a series of initiatives that are reshaping how the 105-strong workforce operates and experiences its working environment. “I’ve worked to establish trusted relationships with stakeholders at all levels of the business,” says Olivia. “That foundation has been essential in driving the kind of cultural change we’ve been able to achieve.” Among her most significant achievements is co-leading the introduction of a pay-for- performance framework, an approach not commonly seen in manufacturing environments. Working alongside the Group Head of Performance and Reward, she embedded the new model across the business, providing one-to-one coaching to leaders and delivering training on role grading and benchmarking. “It has really driven stronger individual and team performance by clearly linking outcomes to reward. “It has really driven stronger individual and team performance by clearly linking outcomes to reward.” “The initiative has also enabled more transparent conversations around career development and expectations, helping to foster a leader-led culture where managers are equipped to handle performance and remuneration discussions independently.” A particularly important outcome of the process has been the identification and closure of gender pay gaps and historical pay disparities. “That’s an achievement we are particularly proud of given the challenges traditionally faced in manufacturing,” says Olivia. “It has reinforced our commitment to fairness and equity.” Olivia has also developed and expanded the company’s Career Development Framework, initially building it for manufacturing employees before extending it over the past year to cover warehouse and laboratory teams. Olivia McBain The framework maps knowledge, competencies and behaviours, providing clarity around career progression. “It has significantly boosted engagement and ownership within these teams,” says Olivia. Beyond structural programmes she has championed employee wellbeing through co-leading the Culture Club, an initiative built around four pillars: physical, mental, financial and cultural wellbeing, as well as community impact. Olivia also led the rollout of Oracle HCM, a cloud-based HR data system, across both Mataura Valley Milk and The a2 Milk Company, acting as system super user throughout the project. Prior to its implementation, HR processes were largely manual and lacked visibility. “The new system has streamlined core HR administration, improved data accuracy, and enabled real-time reporting on key workforce metrics,” she explains. “It has positioned HR as a more strategic and responsive function within the business.” For Olivia the finalist recognition reflects not just personal growth but the tangible impact of putting people genuinely at the centre of business strategy. “These initiatives have contributed to a more performance-driven, transparent, and inclusive culture. “That’s what I’m most proud of.” Mark McKenzie • 021 835 825 • mark.mckenzie@activerefrig.co.nz Proud to support Mataura Valley Milk
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