What happens when organisations stop treating unions as opponents and start treating them as strategic partners?

In this episode of HR Unlocked, Lisa Oakley sits down with Phil Doak, General Manager People & Legal at Ports of Auckland, to explore high-performance, high-engagement workplaces, industrial relations, organisational transformation, and the role trust plays in driving business success.

Drawing on decades of experience in employment relations, law, and organisational leadership, Phil shares the journey behind Ports of Auckland's transformation and the practical systems used to build stronger relationships between leaders, employees, and unions.

From the concept of "365 ER" to interest-based bargaining, psychological safety, and collaborative problem-solving, this conversation challenges traditional approaches to workplace relationships and demonstrates how engagement, productivity, safety, and performance can work together.

What You'll Learn

• What high-performance, high-engagement workplaces look like in practice

• How Ports of Auckland approached cultural transformation

• Why industrial relations should be viewed as a year-round activity, not just bargaining

• The difference between positions and interests in workplace negotiations

• How to build trust and improve relationships between unions and management

• Why employee involvement drives better business outcomes

• The role psychological safety plays in performance and safety

• How leaders can create environments where people genuinely contribute

• Why collaboration is becoming increasingly important in modern workplaces

Key Takeaways

• Strong workplace relationships are built through trust, consistency, and communication

• High performance and high engagement are mutually reinforcing, not competing priorities

• Interest-based problem-solving creates better outcomes than positional bargaining

• Effective industrial relations begin long before collective bargaining starts

• Employee involvement leads to stronger safety, productivity, and business performance outcomes

• Psychological safety enables people to raise concerns, challenge ideas, and contribute solutions

• Leaders build trust through actions, not words

• Sustainable cultural transformation requires systems, structure, and ongoing commitment

About Phil Doak

Phil Doak is General Manager People & Legal at Ports of Auckland and has spent much of his career working at the intersection of employment relations, organisational performance, and leadership.

With a background in employment law and extensive experience in highly unionised environments, Phil has been instrumental in helping organisations move from adversarial industrial relations models to more collaborative, high-engagement approaches.

He is a passionate advocate for interest-based problem-solving, employee involvement, and building workplace cultures that support both business performance and positive employee outcomes.

Why This Episode Matters

Many organisations continue to view industrial relations, engagement, and performance as separate conversations.

This episode demonstrates how trust, collaboration, and employee involvement can become powerful drivers of organisational success.

Whether you're a leader, HR professional, business owner, union representative, or people manager, this conversation offers practical lessons on creating workplaces where performance, engagement, and strong relationships can thrive together.

Resources & Links

• Ports of Auckland

• Connect with Phil Doak on LinkedIn

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