Poppy Fogarty receiving her HR Student of the Year award from Elena Calvert, HRNZ National Vice President. “When I heard my name called, I couldn’t believe it. It was such a surreal experience walking up to the stage and delivering an acceptance speech in front of so many accomplished HR professionals.”
Human Resources New Zealand (HRNZ) has found another rising star in Ōtepoti – Otago student Poppy Fogarty, who recently scooped the HR Student of the Year Award at the 2025 NZ HR Awards.
The Department of Management is aglow with the news, for Poppy’s win comes hot on the heels of previous Otago winner Letisha White, who took out the award in 2024.
Human Resources New Zealand is the professional organisation for those interested or involved in the management and development of human resources. Their annual awards are the pre-eminent accolades for human resources management in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Poppy was commended for being a standout HRNZ Student Ambassador, boosting student engagement through events, promotions, and industry collaboration.
During her HR internship at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) in 2023, she excelled at supporting managers and employees through high pressure changes.
Associate Professor Paula O’Kane, Programme Director of Human Resource Management at Otago, said Poppy was proactive and very willing to engage with students, advocating for the profession and for HR at Otago.
“She quietly went about her role of HRNZ Student Ambassador, while also making a big impression. Her hard work, dedication, and passion for HR have truly paid off. This achievement is a testament to her commitment to excellence in the field.”
In a fittingly magnanimous others-first manner, Poppy shares her win: “A massive thank you to everyone who has helped me to achieve this recognition – my amazing HR lecturers at Otago, Fiona Edgar, Paula O’Kane and Lynnaire Sheridan, the Otago HRNZ branch committee (particularly Grant O’Kane and Elena Calvert) and Gina Cloustin-Cain and Mel Searle from the Careers Development Centre.”
When asked what first sparked her interest in HR as a career option, Poppy credits the interaction-rich time she spent as a checkout operator at New World supermarket when she was a high school student (at Wellington East Girls College).
“I built genuine connections with regular customers and was constantly finding ways I could enhance customers’ shopping experience and improve their day. One moment that really stuck with me was when a regular elderly customer told me they looked forward to their weekly Saturday morning shop as it gave them the opportunity to chat with me. They appreciated how I was always friendly and took a genuine interest in their life which made their day. These experiences in people-focused roles showed me how rewarding it is to positively contribute to people's lives.”
Associate Professor Lynnaire Sheridan was impressed with her strong grasp of both the theory and the challenges of implementing human approaches to HR management and employment relations.
“She seemed to have a lot of fun tackling challenging employment relations scenarios where employees weren’t behaving as expected!”
Poppy agrees, saying, “I love a good challenge – it’s one of the reasons I developed such a strong interest in employee relations. Many of the scenarios are complex and require multiple perspectives and collaboration across different groups.”
“What I enjoy most about the HR industry is its incredible diversity. There are so many different areas to explore, from recruitment and retention of employees to rewards, training and development, and employee relations. HR is never dull. There’s always something new to learn.”
Having completed her BCom (majoring in Human Resource Management and Marketing, minoring in Psychology) she’s now embarked on a two-year graduate programme at Z Energy, spending her first rotation in the ‘People and Culture’ team.
Asked how she rates the employee relations in her new workplace, she gives a perfectly Poppy-esque answer: “I’m loving it.”
– Kōrero by Claire Finlayson, Communications Adviser (Otago Business School)
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