The 20 Best Workplaces in New Zealand for 2025 have been revealed, with organisations such as realestate.co.nz, Hilton, Cisco and Specsavers among those recognised for their workplace cultures.
Great Place To Work, a company that assesses workplace culture, announced its inaugural list of top workplaces in New Zealand, drawing on input from thousands of employees across the country.
The selection of award-winners spans a range of sectors and business sizes, including start-ups and well-established brands. According to Great Place To Work, the results show a direct link between investment in workplace culture and outcomes such as stronger business performance, higher employee engagement, improved retention rates, and an enhanced reputation that helps attract talent in a competitive employment market.
Rebecca Moulynox, General Manager of Great Place To Work ANZ, emphasised the importance of people-first approaches in modern workplaces. She commented:
"This year's Best Workplaces in New Zealand awards show that culture is a company's greatest strategic asset. When employees trust their leaders, feel proud of what they do and enjoy genuine camaraderie with colleagues, then performance follows. These 20 organisations are leading the way in showing that a positive workplace culture drives both productivity and sustainable success, as well as innovation."
Winners were selected using a process that includes confidential employee surveys and independent audits of workplace culture. Each company was benchmarked against a global data set from Great Place To Work, which comprises feedback from over 20 million employees worldwide. This approach is designed to ensure that results provide a trusted and objective view of workplace standards.
The announcement comes at a time when many organisations are focusing on addressing issues such as burnout, psychological safety and technological change. Great Place To Work's research indicates that organisations where employees feel able to speak up, trust their leaders and receive support with work-life balance are more likely to retain engaged and high-performing staff.
These cultural factors also have an impact on adaptability to generational changes in the workforce. The workplace expectations of Baby Boomers sometimes differ from those of younger employees, such as Gen Z, but companies that prioritise trust, openness and authenticity are bridging these differences, according to survey data.
The report highlights another trend: companies with strong workplace cultures are more ready for artificial intelligence. Research from Great Place To Work shows that top-performing workplaces have higher access to professional development, increased psychological safety, and are more open to trying new ideas when compared with typical organisations. This correlates with a workforce that is better prepared to adopt and experiment with AI technologies.
Cisco, one of the companies recognised, was cited as an example of this in practice. The technology firm has launched BridgeIT, a secure internal platform similar to ChatGPT, and offers AI training opportunities to its staff. Great Place To Work noted that these initiatives rely on Cisco's established workplace environment, where trust and a willingness to innovate are prioritised, allowing employees to adopt new tools and suggest improvements without fearing negative repercussions.
Rebecca Moulynox added:
"Adopting AI isn't just about having the latest tech - it's about creating the right conditions for people to embrace change. The organisations recognised today are showing that when you build cultures of trust and psychological safety, you also build the foundations for successful innovation."
Realestate.co.nz was named as the top workplace in the Small Business category, which includes organisations with 10 to 99 employees. Kim Hamilton, People and Culture Manager at realestate.co.nz, described the recognition as a significant acknowledgment of the company's values, saying:
"This is both a proud moment for us and a reflection of the heart and hustle our team brings every day. At realestate.co.nz, we believe culture is built through care, fuelled by growth and lifted by excellence. This recognition celebrates our people-first approach where every voice matters, great ideas come from everywhere and values actually mean something. We're happy to be in such great company and excited about what's ahead for us as a team."
Several other companies appear on the 2025 list, including DHL, Rothbury Insurance Brokers, Builderscrack, and a range of businesses from the technology, healthcare and logistics sectors.
Great Place To Work highlighted that the 2025 Best Workplaces list demonstrates the benefits of building a culture centred on trust in leadership, which helps organisations retain staff, perform strongly, and adapt to change. The current trends in AI adoption and workforce demographics underline the argument that workplace culture is fundamental to achieving innovation, resilience, and long-term business competitiveness.
