A New Home For Workplace Wellbeing Professionals In Aotearoa

WWPA launches to support the people doing the work behind the work.

Workplace wellbeing is more than a trend, it’s a growing movement. And now, the professionals behind that movement have a home.

This month marks the official launch of the Workplace Wellbeing Professionals Aotearoa (WWPA), a new professional body created by and for the growing community of people working to improve wellbeing at work.

From HR and Health & Safety to People & Culture and dedicated wellbeing roles, workplace wellbeing professionals across Aotearoa have been calling for something more: connection, recognition, and a place to grow. For Terry Buckingham and a small group of founding members, the gap was clear and the time was right to close it.

“We kept hearing the same thing,” says Terry, WWPA Chair, who brings decades of experience in occupational health and health promotion. “People working in workplace wellbeing were doing it in isolation. No roadmap. No peer network. No name for the work they were doing. So we decided to create it.”

WWPA exists to connect, elevate, and grow the profession. “Whether you’ve been doing this work for years, just stepping into a wellbeing role, or shaping workplace culture from the edges, you belong here” says WWPA Steering Committee member Sarah Ratima-Nolan.

WWPA’s first national conference is already in the works and will take place in October 2025, designed to spark conversations, share practice, and build capability. Membership is open now, with plans to offer regular connection points, learning opportunities, and community-led initiatives in the coming months.

More information, including how to join, can be found at www.wwpa.co.nz

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