The 2025 NZ Part Time Power List
The power of part time: recognising and celebrating New Zealand employers and individuals changing the system
“As I look through the 2025 NZ Part Time Power List, it is the individual stories that stand out for me. The reflections that the Power Listers offer on the positive impact that working in a senior part time role has had not only on their career but on their life. The generosity of their spirit in sharing practical and honest advice on how to make senior part time work – work. My hope is that through these stories of inspiration, the community of senior part time workers will continue to grow, and employers will see that this can work.
This is the list that smashes perceptions that part time work can’t be done at a senior level. It directly challenges the myth that when we want part time work, we will bring a “part time attitude”. It is a power list that proves part time senior roles can be taken seriously and not relegated to the “b team”. It is a Power List that New Zealand (and the world) needs right now.
I was delighted with the support that the inaugural Part Time Power List secured last year in 2024 and was proud to produce it again this year. It was disappointing to observe the small numbers of men on the list over the past two years and the minimal ethnic diversity of the power list over the same two years. Both these observations reflect that we still have work to do in corporate NZ when it comes to not just senior roles but senior, part time roles. And perhaps the reason why we need to keep talking about and profiling the importance and the impact of senior part time roles.
I hope you enjoy reading this year’s stories as much as I did when compiling them. If someone’s story particularly resonates, let them know as they will love to know that sharing their story has made a difference.
You can’t be what you can’t see. And we can see it now. Onwards and upwards.”
FOUNDER, WORKS FOR EVERYONE
Emma McLean
-
Ali Duncan
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, ONEREG
24 hours a week
Moving to a part time role with OneReg has given me the space to be fully present for my family while staying engaged in a career I love. My work hours have sharpened focus, increased efficiency, and a complete clarity around …
-
Anita Jeffcoat
HSEQ SYSTEMS MANAGER, TREESCAPE
28 hours a week
Autonomy from managers is crucial - they need to trust you and back your decisions. The work can be intense - and incredibly rewarding too. Not being there f/t makes it easier to achieve a healthy balance, chase dreams, play with ..
-
Anna Fitzgibbon
PARTNER, DELOITTE
30 hours over 5 days
When it comes to part-time work, I believe it’s all about what works for you and your family and don’t think there is a one size fits all / many approach, so I don't feel like I have all the answers. Working part-time allows …
-
Annalie Hampton
PARTNER, DELOITTE
30 hours per week
Working part time and the support that has been provided to me to do this at a senior level has been a game changer in terms of me staying in and advancing in my career. The following factors …
-
Anya Satyanand
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, EMBER INNOVATIONS
0.8 FTE
This role allows me to 1) primarily manage the juggle between demands of whānau - I'm the filling in a sandwich between my amazing and needy teenagers and my parents whose needs are increasing - with a job that …
-
Bronwyn Baird
PARTNER, DELOITTE
30 hours a week
Growing up as a young woman and entering the professional realms in the early 2000’s the perception was that there was a trade off between reaching the heights of your professional aspirations and being …
-
Charlotte Webber
PARTNER - LITIGATION AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION, ANDERSON LLOYD
4 days a week over 5 days, school hours
I have worked part time as a senior lawyer for the past eight years. I took a full year of maternity leave when each of my boys were born and had a graduated return …
-
Corey Hutchins
MARKETING AUTOMATION MANAGER, KIWIBANK
34 hours a week Mon-Thu (Fridays off)
For the past five years, I’ve worked part-time to be present for my children and support my wife’s career. It’s been a juggle, but incredibly worthwhile. I’m grateful to Kiwibank for making that possible. It’s a place that …
Part time roles need a rethink
Particularly the part time roles that employees need when they become parents. The part time roles that enable them to fulfil the caregiving needs their family have alongside continuing to build their career, not sidestep or off-ramp it.
We need part time roles that are accurately scoped, that tap into our strengths, allow contribution at a senior level, and provide a meaningful challenge. I hear my clients say that it needs to “feel worth it” when they return to work after having children. And so often it does not feel worth it when they are side lined into roles that are not senior, that make them feel like they are on the “B” team, don’t play to their strengths and are not scoped for reduced hour outcomes.
-
David Downs
CEO, NZ STORY
4 days a week
Working part-time has given me the freedom to contribute deeply as CEO while also dedicating time to other causes I care about, such as my board work and in advocacy (eg as an Ambassador for … -
Emma Stoneman
COMMERCIAL GROWTH MANAGER, KIWIBANK
32 hours a week
Working part-time at 32 hours a week, typically Monday to Thursday, has given me the flexibility to enjoy both my professional and personal life. As a mum to a one-year-old girl named Kate, I treasure the dedicated day we spend …
-
Hannah Walton
STRATEGY MANAGER, ONE NZ
4 days a week
Working four days allows me to balance the two things that matter most to me: being present as a mum to my three children and contributing meaningfully in a role where I deliver outcomes and connect with great people. This ...
-
Irja Delaney
SENIOR PRODUCT MANAGER, GENERATE
25 hours a week
For me being part time is not about working less, it’s about sharpening my focus on the work that matters. I’m here to make a systemic impact and to bring people and communities to the centre of corporate decision-making…
-
Jasmin Sumner
DIRECTOR, CORPORATE, INSTITUTIONAL NZ, ANZ
4 days a week
I've worked a 4 day week (most recently 4 extended working days, equivalent to 0.9 FTE) for nearly 6 years (with 2x career breaks for my now 6 and 4 year olds). Over this time I've still managed to …
-
Jule Scherer
HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS, THINKSTEP-ANZ
30 hours a week
I love having a job that challenges and stretches me every day, where my work makes a real impact in helping to create a better world. I thrive on learning new things and turning ideas into …
-
Kate Lowe
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER (CONSTRUCTION), 4PM
4 days a week, varied hours
When I returned to work after having my daughter, my previous employer wouldn’t allow reduced hours, so I decided to move on. I joined another firm and worked three days a week for 2.5 years. When starting …
-
Laura Stewart
SENIOR PEOPLE & CULTURE BUSINESS PARTNER, CHORUS
24 hours across 4 days
Working part-time has made me more productive. For the most part, I’m still achieving similar outputs to when I was full-time. I don’t have the space to procrastinate — I stay focused, prioritise better, and …
We need to measure the enablers
It is not enough to measure the outcomes when it comes to gender equity at the top of our organisations. We also need to measure the enablers of getting those outcomes and quality, meaningful part time work, is one of those enablers.
There it is a narrative that says it is a “choice” for parents, particularly women, to step out of the workforce. But the reality is, they have run out of choices. If they are the lead caregiver, they have run out of options to have a full time job. They need meaningful part time roles that enable them to stay in the leadership pipeline and not off-ramp themselves.
-
Lauren Rapley
PARTNER, RUSSELL MCVEAGH
4 days a week
I am proud to be part of a partnership, team and firm that supports me to have a working arrangement that fits our family. Having leaders within our business and industry with flexible working arrangements is important to show our future leaders there …
-
Liz Nelson
PARTNER, DELOITTE
School hours
I've chosen to work school hours so I can be a present mum, which is important to me. It also allows me to prioritise my wellbeing, fitting in regular exercise to help me stay grounded and energised. To make this work, I'm … -
Louisa Kraitzick
PARTNER, DIRECTOR, CO-OWNER, PEAD
3 to 4 days a week
I love being a mum and I love running the business I co-own and diving into meaty work with clients. Before having my little one I knew that I’d have to find a way to integrate it all, and to be honest that was a bit scary. While I was …
-
Marieke Mahoney
DIRECTOR - ADVISORY, FLOCK CONSULTING
30 hours per week on average
Since my first daughter was born almost 12 years ago, I’ve always had a level of flexibility and reduced working hours – yet there were plenty of opportunities to progress my career, often by being creative and …
-
Penelope Ward
SENIOR LEGAL COUNSEL - REGULATION, RISK & COMPLIANCE, CHORUS
4 days a week
I truly believe that senior leadership and flexible working are not opposed, but complementary. In my role as a Senior Legal Counsel at Chorus, I work four days a week with Fridays devoted to caring for my young daughter. I love the …
-
Skye Simpson
SENIOR FULL STACK DEVELOPER, TRADE ME
24 hours, 3 days a week
Working part time in a senior role has been life-changing for me. It’s given me the space to be fully present with my young family while still doing work I love at a level that challenges and stretches me. I’ve found that fewer …
-
Tara Grant
PARTNER, MARTELLI MCKEGG LAWYERS
4 days a week
Finding space where I could enjoy motherhood and continue my career progression began in 2008, when I first joined Martelli McKegg Lawyers, after working in other legal spaces, both in New Zealand and …
-
Tereza Bebich
PARTNER, PwC
0.8 FTE
I’ve worked a four-day week (Fridays off) across several organisations for the past decade. It gives me the flexibility to be present for my children while building a successful career focused on my strengths and …
-
Tina Dustdar
FRACTIONAL CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, KEA NEW ZEALAND
2 days per week
I spent most of my children’s younger years working full‑time, partly because I loved my work, and partly because part‑time leadership roles weren’t really an option. With good systems in place I made it work, but …
-
Ursula Lawgun
SENIOR STRATEGY & OPERATIONAL ROLES, FREELANCE EXECUTIVE
20 to 25 hours per weekPart-time work has never meant part-time commitment. I’ve built a portfolio career that balances professional ambition with personal priorities, that include parenting and entrepreneurship. The …
