People at the heart: Anna Morris recognised as Emerging HR Practitioner of the Year
31 March 2026
The Teaching Council is proud to celebrate Anna Morris, our People and Culture (P&C) Business Partner, who has been named Emerging HR Practitioner of the Year at the Human Resources New Zealand (HRNZ) Awards 2026.
The HRNZ Awards, in partnership with AMP, celebrate the individuals, teams, and organisations shaping the future of human resources in Aotearoa New Zealand. They recognise excellence in HR leadership, innovation, workplace culture, and people-focused strategy.
This national recognition reflects not only Anna’s professional excellence, but the meaningful impact of her mahi in shaping a workplace grounded in values, belonging and purpose. Work that ultimately strengthens how we feel empowered to serve the teaching profession across Aotearoa.
Our purpose at the Council is to ensure all tamariki and rangatahi have access to safe and high‑quality teaching in Aotearoa. That teaching happens every day in schools, kura, and ECE services across the motu. Our role is to support the conditions that surround and uphold this work, and Anna’s role sits at the heart of this. She supports our leaders, strengthens our culture, and ensures the practice of our kaimahi reflects who we are and what we stand for.
As P&C Business partner, Anna works across workforce planning, leadership development, employment relations and organisational culture. Her drive is shaped by our aspiration to be Tiriti-led and values based, ensuring our identity and commitments are not just expressed in policy, but lived in everyday work and every interaction we have with the profession.
A significant part of Anna’s work has been bringing our cultural frameworks to life, through the recently launched Ngā Pātū o te Whare | Wall of Identity.
This free resource for the profession encourages teachers to explore their own story, deepen connections to the history of Aotearoa New Zealand, and reflect on the role they play in shaping the cultural fabric of teaching in this country.
Anna saw the Wall of Identity as an opportunity for kaimahi to have a shared understanding of identity, belonging, and partnership.
“The four panels in our entrance honour Tangata Whenua, Tangata Tiriti, Tagata o le Moana and Tagata Aramoana, symbolising our commitment to inclusive, culturally grounded practice,” says Anna. “This framework guides how I support leaders to embed cultural humility, celebrate ancestral wisdom, and foster belonging.”
One of Anna’s proudest achievements at the Council has been helping bring our Manaakitanga Policy to life.
“I support managers to embed our values into daily practice, using tools like the Emotional Culture Deck to encourage reflection on how they want their teams to feel at work. This fosters inclusive, emotionally intelligent environments where kaimahi can thrive,” Anna says.
“Ngā mahi nunui a te tini, he hua nō te kaupapa ngātahi. This recognition reflects collective effort and shared purpose,” says Deputy Chief Executive, Tamahau Te Rau.
“Anna’s leadership is both strategic and human. She brings together data and insight to guide sound decision making, while creating space for meaningful kōrero, reflection, and growth,” says Tamahau.
At the heart of Anna’s mahi is a simple but powerful truth:
He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.
