People

Develop skills, capability, and confidence to perform at pace.

Why this matters

Your people are your strategy in motion. Every plan, every transformation, every ambition depends on the capability, confidence and commitment of the people delivering it.

At Five we design programmes that build real skills, shift mindsets and create leaders at every level. From executive coaching to team capability uplift, our people work is tailored, practical and grounded in what the organisation actually needs.

When you develop your people with intention, individual performance lifts and the organisation builds the muscle to adapt, grow and get through whatever comes next.

Who you'd work with

What we do

Behavioural Game Design

For when e-learning just won't cut it.

Capability mapping and organisational alignment

Align your organisational structure, capabilities, and operating model to your strategy - so your people can deliver what your business needs.

Capability uplift

We help you to build new capabilities for your people in skills, behaviours, mindsets, beliefs, alongside the deployment of enabling technologies and processes.

Leadership Development Programme

Bespoke leadership development programmes for NZ organisations - designed to build the leadership capability your strategy demands, not off-the-shelf content that gathers dust.

Learning Programmes

Bespoke learning programmes designed, built and deployed for your people, covering mindset, behaviour and skills.

Outplacement Support

Equip your departing employees with something that gives them the best chance of success with the next stage of their career.

People Advisory

Expert people advisory for NZ organisations navigating complex workforce challenges - from restructures and ER to building the people capability your business needs to thrive.

Our thinking

Nick Mackeson-Smith

Nobody can tell you what your potential is

We rate potential with a word nobody can define, then let it decide who gets the opportunity.

Read article →

Paula Riano

Upskilling vs. replacing: why it’s cheaper (and better) to train your experts in AI than to hire “AI experts”

Hiring an AI expert won't make your organisation AI-ready. The real IP lives in your people — upskill them, or lose both expertise and institutional memory.

Read article →

Nick Mackeson-Smith

The belief comes first. The performance follows.

Watching his sons prepare for football season, Nick makes the case that belief precedes performance — not the other way around.

Read article →

Paula Riano

The 4-day work week: AI’s role in our changing reality

The 4-day week has moved from wellbeing perk to business strategy. AI is what makes it work at scale — here's the evidence from NZ enterprises.

Read article →

Nick Mackeson-Smith

The leadership readiness gap

Organisational change is outpacing leadership capability. 72% of leaders say they're not fully prepared. Here are four questions every board should be asking.

Read article →

Katie Baldwin

Navigating the rainbow: building inclusive leadership in NZ

Building an inclusive team in NZ isn't about box-ticking. It's about creating a place where everyone truly belongs and ideas genuinely spark.

Read article →

Nick Mackeson-Smith

The strategic lever most organisations are missing

Strategy gets set. Targets get agreed. But capability — what people need to know, do, and be — keeps getting left until it's too late.

Read article →

Jess Keenan

Intentional design of your offboarding experience

People remember how they left. Designing your offboarding experience intentionally — before you're forced to — is good for your brand, culture, and future hires.

Read article →