Our team

E: carl.church@nicherecruitment.co.nz

Carl (Kāi Tahu) is the Kaiwhakahaere Matua and a co-owner of Niche. Carl is a natural connector and is committed to the building of diverse and inclusive organisations. He has a passion for looking at innovative ways of identifying and attracting talent, and recognises the benefits of skills developed locally, regionally, and internationally.

Carl has had a wide-ranging career covering financial and professional services, energy, recruitment, consulting, and technology. He has built out services practices for Deloitte in the UK and Asia Pacific, and has been focused on the governance, strategy and day-to-day operations of specialist and disruptive Australasian businesses. His time as a COO and CFO has given Carl considerable experience in running successful recruitment, finance, legal, IT and operational delivery teams. Carl is proud to serve as an elected member of his Rūnaka executive.

Carl is a Chartered Accountant and has been admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor in New Zealand. Of Kāi Tahu descent, his tīpuna whakapapa to Ōraka Aparima, and he has lived and worked in London, Hong Kong, and New Zealand.

E: jane.temel@nicherecruitment.co.nz

Jane (Ngāruahine, Ngāti Ruanui, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāti Porou and Pākehā) has been a co-owner of Niche since 2010 and she has led the diversification of the business from legal into other specialist fields. This included the development of our Public Sector and People Culture and Capability portfolios, as well as managing executive appointments, especially for some of Aotearoa’s leading charities and NGOs.

Jane has been involved in recruitment in the UK and New Zealand since 1996, with roles including NZ Manager for the IT and Executive division of a global recruitment firm and General Manager for a large NZ-owned business. She has led large-scale recruitment campaigns for public sector clients, including reorganisations at the senior management level.

Jane completed a Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours at Victoria University of Wellington and she maintains a strong interest in the arts. She has been a parent Trustee on primary and secondary school boards and has served on a church Board of Management and on the RCSA All-of-Government Working Group.

E: cindy.barthel@nicherecruitment.co.nz

Cindy has been working as a specialist public sector recruiter since 2016. A problem solver and a collaborator, Cindy is passionate about finding the best “fit” talent for her clients and working proactively with candidates in their career journeys.

Cindy has established an amazing pool of talent and is well-networked across the public sector. She has recruited a wide range of contract and permanent positions including policy, advisory, communication, strategy, planning, performance, governance, research, evaluation, business programme/project and business analysis. She takes pride in providing a smooth, fuss-free recruitment experience to both clients and candidates.

Graduated Master of Commerce with Distinction, Cindy is a member of RCSA recruitment network. She speaks English, Mandarin, French and is in the process of learning Te Reo Māori along with the whole Niche whānau. A strong believer of diversity and inclusion, she also values the balance between family and career.

E: chris.stewart@nicherecruitment...

Chris is an experienced senior leader with a varied and extensive career working in clinical, sales, human resources, quality, risk and legislative compliance roles within the public and private health agencies.

Chris is passionate about people and inclusivity and is a strong networker, she looks forward to working with candidates, enabling them to find roles and organisations in which they can thrive.

Chris has a Diploma in Nursing, Bachelor of Arts and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business

E: lee.scott@nicherecruitment.co.nz

Lee has more than 17 years’ specialist legal recruitment experience from New Zealand, France and London. She has worked in both agency and in-house recruitment roles and recruited for private practice and industry at all levels from newly qualified to senior associate/partner and General Counsel level. Lee’s focus on striving to do the best she can, her care for people, friendly disposition and overall enjoyment of guiding people to the right role, underpins who she is, how she works and how people can expect to be treated when they work with Lee. She is dedicated and committed to do the best job possible.

Lee holds a conjoint LLB/BA degree from The University of Auckland and started her career as a Solicitor, working in the Employment team at Dentons Kensington Swan in Auckland before moving to Europe in 2004 where she commenced her career in legal recruitment.

E: phillipa.mcdonald@nicherecruitment.co.nz

Phillipa is committed to fostering success and growth within the Public Sector through her extensive experience and strong track record in the recruitment of policy, strategy, governance, research and evaluation, communications and programme and project management professionals.

Taking pride in building meaningful relationships, Phillipa has a strong network across the public sector. She has a passion for matching talent with the right opportunity and helping candidates on their career journey.

Phillipa has a Bachelor of Commerce in Business and Marketing

E: simone.davey@nicherecruitment.co.nz

Simone has over 15 years Human Resources experience, covering employee relations, reward and recognition, recruitment, selection and induction, change and performance management, training delivery, organisational development, vocational and career services. Her career spans both the private and public sectors in NZ and overseas in a range of roles from consulting to managing teams.

She has a Bachelor of Business Studies majoring in Human Resources and a Diploma in Career Services.

Simone prides herself on her collaborative approach to bringing together a successful unity of candidates and clients. She welcomes the opportunity to assist you in your career journey or to identify talent across the People, Culture and Capability portfolios.

E: lourdes.turconi@nicherecruitment.co.nz

Lourdes is a strategic-minded and people-centred consultant with broad international exposure (Latin America, Europe, Middle East & Asia-Pacific) and 15+ years of experience in research, policy, planning, and implementation within the education and sport sectors.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of St Andrews (Argentina), a postgraduate in Project Cycle Management from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Spain), a MSc in Sport Management from Loughborough University (England), and has recently completed a PhD at the University of Otago (New Zealand).

A cosmopolitan “big picture” thinker with exceptional attention to detail, Lourdes believes that positive change occurs through building relationships based on reciprocity, empathy, and collective thinking; she is also a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion and values-based practice.

E: maria.lyons@nicherecruitment.co.nz

Maria has over 10 years’ recruitment experience in New Zealand and the UK, working in temporary, contract and permanent recruitment. She has trained and led recruitment teams and run large scale international recruitment campaigns. Maria has also worked within organisational development as a Practice Manager and as an HR generalist within a large primary health organisation.

Maria has a particular passion for working in the People, Capability and Culture field. She provides consistently exceptional service, building strong client relationships, offering tailored recruitment solutions and enabling candidates to realise their potential throughout their career journey.

Maria has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Education.

E: alistair.kwun@nicherecruitment.co.nz

With a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Auckland (double major – German & Spanish), Alistair’s networks span Aotearoa’s retail hospitality, not-for-profit, and entertainment sectors.

Prior to Niche, he held key marketing and event roles with Leadership New Zealand, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, and SkyCity.

In 2010, Alistair co-founded Future Dragonz, Aotearoa's leading Chinese young professionals' network and supported its expansion to Wellington and Christchurch.

A champion of diversity of perspective, he is a 2006 alumnus of The NZ Leadership Programme, delivered by Pūmanawa Kaiārahi Leadership NZ.

Alistair is based in Tāmaki Makaurau and works across our legal, marketing, and communications portfolios.

E: tessa.wilkie@nicherecruitment.co.nz

Tessa (Te Arawa) completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Film and Media Studies at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington.

Tessa specialises in the recruitment of media, marketing and communications professionals for contract and permanent roles. She has developed a substantial portfolio of clients in the GLAM sector (Galleries Libraries and Museums) and is often called upon to source candidates who bring specialist technical or leadership skills, as well as Māori or Pacific cultural competence. Tessa also works with the not-for-profit sector, including the recruitment of fundraisers, and with public sector clients. She works through the entire career pathway from entry-level positions through to executive leadership.

A self-proclaimed people person and media enthusiast, Tessa enjoys combining these two passions as a Niche consultant.

E: christy.facer@nicherecruitment.co.nz

Christy completed a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Human Resource Management, Psychology and Marketing at the University of Otago. She then worked at a small IT business in Central Otago before making the move to Wellington to join the Niche whānau.

Initially joining Niche as a talent sourcing consultant, Christy had the opportunity to work across all the Niche specialities. She discovered a passion for the legal and regulatory sector and, as a consultant in this space, Christy excels at finding candidates for hard-to-fill roles. She enjoys building relationships and understanding the needs of her clients and candidates.

E: ruth.hara@nicherecruitment.co....

Ruth holds a double degree (LLB/BA) from Otago University, where she majored in Law, German and Japanese. Upon her admission to the bar at the Dunedin High Court, Ruth was drawn to Japan where she worked in the education sector. Her leadership skills and passion for helping others granted her the rare opportunity to work in the management team for the Kumamoto City Board of Education.

Upon returning to New Zealand, Ruth completed a Graduate Certificate in Applied Marketing, before joining our expert legal recruitment team at Niche Recruitment. Ruth is friendly, inquisitive, and determined to find the best results for her clients and candidates. She brings rich experience in bridging people from different cultures and backgrounds and looks forward to talking with you soon.

E: megan.manning@nicherecruitment.co.nz

Megan (Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngāti Raukawa ki te tonga) has a people-oriented background in financial services, hospitality, beauty therapy and sales. Prior to joining Niche, she spent 9 years specialising in claims management in the insurance industry. During this time, Megan developed expertise in skilful negotiations, her ability to find pragmatic solutions to challenges, and a flair for building relationships with individuals from walks of life, based on authenticity, trust, and empathy.

While working full-time, Megan pursued her studies in Te Reo Māori with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. In 2022, she successfully completed Te Pīnakitanga ki te Reo Kairangi obtaining her level 7 diploma. This accomplishment prompted her to embark on a career change, seeking a path where she can whakamana tāngata Māori and be immersed in a Te Ao Māori environment.

With her bubbly personality and foundation of manaakitanga, Megan takes on the role of a kaiarahi, compassionately guiding candidates towards a secure path to career success.

E: skye.hailwood@nicherecruitment.co.nz

Skye (Te Ātiawa, Taranaki Whānui me Te Ātihanui-a-Paparangi) brings an in-depth knowledge of whenua Māori after several years’ of experience in trust administration. During this time, she discovered her passion for Māori HR/Recruitment and Skye builds on this experience in her current role as a Mātanga with Niche.

Skye understands that this mahi is an opportunity to āwhina and tautoko tāngata Māori from all walks of life in a mana enhancing recruitment process with manaakitanga at the heart of all she does. We have the opportunity to increase Māori representation at all tiers within the Public and Private sectors.

Skye is also heavily involved in her Iwi and Hapū and provides cultural support when called upon.

He whaikororia ki te Atua I runga rawa, He maungarongo ki runga I te mata o te whenua, He whakaaro pai ki te tanga.

E: katherine.kooistra@nicherecruitment.co.nz

Katherine leads our Talent Sourcing team and has experience across all of our portfolios. She is particularly interested in process improvement and is always looking for ways to enhance our search methodology.

Prior to joining Niche, Katherine worked in tourism and logistics roles in New Zealand and Europe and has recruitment experience in the voluntary sector. She graduated from Victoria University with a BA in International Relations and German and a Graduate Certificate in Commerce specialising in Marketing.

E: ophelia.muller@nicherecruitment.co.nz

Ophelia is currently studying at Te Herenga Waka (Victoria University of Wellington) working towards a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Creative and Literary Communications, Sociology and minoring in Gender and Sexuality Studies.

With a background in admin and a variety of customer service roles, Ophelia has a strong passion for people and helping them achieve their best. Spending her time in various committees and leadership positions, she prides herself in being able to connect with anyone and everyone.

E: mihirangi.wickliffe@nicherecruitment.co.nz

Mihirangi (Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Tukorehe) completed a Bachelor of Management Studies (Honours) specialising in Strategic Management and minoring in Human Resources and Marketing at The University of Waikato.

Mihirangi has a passion for te ao Māori, indigenous business, leadership, and global citizenship. She brings a versatile skill set with experience in project management, marketing, and communications which she is excited to bring into her current role as a Tuputoa Intern.

Hāpaitia te ara tika pūmau ai te rangatiratanga mō ngā uri whakatipu

Foster the pathway of knowledge to strength, independence and growth for future generations.

E: amaia.muru@nicherecruitment.co.nz

Amaia Muru (Tainui) has completed a Bachelor of Business at Auckland University of Technology. She has worked in the digital marketing field for international brands and brings a strong set of business skills. Amaia recently desired a career change that involved building pathways for exceptional people. She is passionate about connecting with people and incorporating Maoritanga within her work to unlock a lens that is in her words ‘Unique and impactful’.

'He aha te mea nui tea o? He tangata he tangata, he tangata!'

What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people!'

E: alysha.hiha@nicherecruitment.co.nz

Alysha is a Ngāti Kahungunu ki te Whanganui a Orotu, Kai Tahu, Tuwharetoa wahine, proficient in te reo Māori and English. Alysha has extensive organisational administration and IT experience. Her previous role, managing the business administration of a national tertiary education provider, meant she dealt with a range of activities to maintain over 30 sites of commercial and community programme delivery in rural and urban settings. She has strong IT technical and software support, as well as marketing and promotion design capabilities.

Alysha’s relationship management skills, alongside her other abilities and qualities, make her the ideal person to keep our Auckland office running smoothly.

E: nicky.giles@nicherecruitment.co.nz

Nicky has a substantial background in recruitment, working in the high volume temporary and permanent business support space in Brisbane and Wellington.

While raising a family, Nicky has worked in part time administration roles, including supporting an executive recruitment team with verbal reference checking, and providing office support in a large Wellington school.

Nicky’s recruitment experience and customer service focus make her the ideal person to assist our staff, clients and candidates.

E: accounts@nicherecruitment.co.nz

Ann is a Chartered Accountant with over 30 years experience spanning a variety of roles and industries including private practice and Corporate work. Ann began her career with Ernst and Young before specialising in banking at Westpac, where she held several senior positions, predominantly in Treasury and Business Banking. Her banking career also took her to San Francisco to work for Bank of America in Foreign Exchange.

A stint in Melbourne saw her running her own CA practice and, upon returning to New Zealand, Ann spent many years as the General Manager of a creative agency specialising in film and visitor attraction production with clients in New Zealand, Australia and the US. In her spare time she worked with the New Zealand Basketball Academy on a pro bono basis.

Ann provides a diligent, professional approach across the full breadth of Niche’s strategic and operational finance functions.

E: matiaha.hill@nicherecruitment.co.nz

Matiaha completed a Diploma in Matauranga Māori at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Ara Whanui, and was the first grandchild to attend total immersion kura for their entire schooling.

Matiaha grew up surrounded by Rēo Māori and tikanga, visiting marae from a young age with his grandfather.

Grounded in the value of manaakitanga, Matiaha thrives in his role of providing hospitality for our manuhiri, organising hui, providing cultural support and keeping our office running smoothly.