ecoPortal’s Insights from Auckland and Prague

During the month of November, ecoPortal was privileged enough to attend two stellar events: OHS Leaders Summit, right here on our home turf in Auckland, New Zealand, and HSE Learning Summit, on the other side of a very big pond, in Prague. 

From the local stage to the global arena, we were surrounded by some of the industry’s best and brightest. We learned invaluable insights, so good we couldn’t keep them to ourselves. Here are the most interesting takeaways from both events. 

OHS Leaders Summit

Our first stop was the two-day OHS Leaders Summit in Auckland, hosted by Focus Network. An event close to our hearts, located in the wonderful city where our journey began and where we continue to have our headquarters.

Under the theme ‘Going Beyond Compliance to Create a Culture of Care,’ the speakers knocked it out of the park. Throughout the two days a clear narrative emerged amongst the discussions, trust is the foundation on which health and safety will thrive. 

In the panel discussion “From Tick-Box to Trust: Redefining Safety Leadership” — featuring the brilliant Denva Wren (Woolworths), Keri-Anne Martin (Fullers360), Karen Naude (Port of Tauranga Limited), and Tersia van der Merwe (Bupa), and moderated by Mary-Beth Hosking MBT — the speakers delved into how trust is the foundation of safety, but it cannot just be a slogan. Building trust, they argued, requires leaders to be "disruptive, courageous, and gutsy."

This was backed up by a powerful presentation from Yolanda Oosthuizen of Horizon Energy Group Limited. Yolanda reminded us that while we invest heavily in big systems, the real drivers of culture are the "micro-moments" — the small, everyday leadership choices.

It’s in these moments that we build, or break, trust:
- The choice to ask, "What made sense to you at the time?" instead of, "What went wrong?"
- The consistency to reinforce positive behaviours, not just react to failures.
The discipline to pause and genuinely listen, even under pressure.

As Yolanda so graciously put it, "Your credibility grows every time your actions align with your words."

HSE Learning Summit

Next, we venture to the other side of the world to beautiful (and rather chilly) Prague for the HSE Learning Summit, hosted by The Global Series (formerly, HSE Global Series).

If Auckland was about the mindset of leadership, Prague was about the reality of the frontline. 

Erin Meyer’s keynote captured the challenge perfectly with the phrase: "Fish don’t see water." We rarely notice the cultural norms we swim in until they cause friction. This sentiment was echoed by Richard Heron, who challenged the room to stop treating wellbeing as a vague program and "start measuring" it as a strategic imperative.

This is where our own Dr. Manuel Seidel and Robyn Lloyd joined the discussion. They tackled one of the profession’s biggest challenges: building safety systems that people actually use — not in theory, but in the real rhythm of daily work.

During their session, a live poll confirmed the top blockers for frontline workers: time, language, and complexity. These aren’t abstract issues; they are everyday friction points that stop people from reporting and taking ownership of their personal and organisational safety.

It’s not that people don’t want to engage, it’s that legacy systems often make it difficult. We discussed how we can use technology, like AI, not as a shiny new toy, but as a practical way to remove those barriers and give every worker a voice.

Moving Forward With Intention

If we took one thing away from November, it’s that we need to be kinder to the humans in our systems.

As you look at your plans for the coming year, try not to get overwhelmed by the scale of change required. Instead, focus on the friction points. If we can design processes that fit the natural rhythm of work — and build trust through those micro-moments —, the culture will follow.

This short and snappy read is part of our News Bites© series, made for busy safety pros who like their insights one bite at a time.