About Me
My name is Tjarda Wierdsma
Through my training courses and guidance, I support anyone who wants to make work healthier, safer and better.
My services are mainly designed for workers, workplace leaders, and worker representatives like health and safety reps.
I'm happy to work with Board reps or more senior leaders to help you boost worker engagement, participation and representation.
I have broad special interests in
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worker engagement, participation and representation
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wellbeing economics, employment law reform
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flexible work, disability rights, reasonable accommodation
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worker-centric & accessible vocational education and training
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workplace wellness, psychosocial hazard management
who I am
Ko Tjarda toku ingoa. Ko Tati te whakapaparanga mai, nō Fryslân aue, engari ko Ahuriri te whenua tupu. Kei Te Horo, Ōtaki au e noho ana. Toitū te Tiriti!
My ancestry is Dutch. The province of Fryslân is my first home where I got my Frisian name. When I was six years old, my family moved to Aotearoa.
I grew up in Ahuriri/Napier and lived in Te Whanganui-a-tara/ Wellington for about 20 years. I now live near Ōtaki. I strive to be good tangata tiriti and am a proud DPA member. I believe we serve each other best when we put people and planet before personal profit.
how I work
Worker-centric H&S training, for all Aotearoa
Quality H&S training like WorksafeReps courses isn’t just for big companies.
I keep my fees low and policies flexible, and I'm always keen to support smaller or less profit-driven teams.
I help people understand real compliance
Our legislation requires much more than tick-box checks and safety data. We need real leadership.
I'll connect you to the frameworks & standards that underpin good health and safety management systems.
I help all kinds of people improve workplace H&S
H&S systems should make work better for everyone, not just the majority. I take a universal design approach wherever I can.
Let's remove barriers to participation. If you're not sure I can meet your accessibility or learning needs, please tell me.
I help move teams towards a mature H&S culture
Good things happen when workers are properly engaged, can participate effectively, with good representation.
Whether through training workshops or guidance sessions, I help engage truly effective worker power.
I share useful resources that anyone can use
I share credible tools, templates & resources, and success stories.
Explore different approaches to tricky situations in realistic training scenarios, or use me as a research buddy as you explore your interests.
I help worker representatives find their way
I help people find safe, healthy, and effective ways to be good worker representatives.
Make use of my 15+ years of experience as a union organiser to build your own advocacy and leadership skills.
my credentials
relevant education
2023
Post-Graduate Certificate in Health
Workplace Health & Safety
Level 8 NZQCF
2003-2005
Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Administration
Human Resource Management
Level 8 NZQCF
2012-2013
Open Polytechnic
specialised adult education papers
* Facilitating Online Learning Experiences
* Transforming Learning Experiences
both Level 5 NZQCF
relevant experience & memberships
2023-
Associate Member
I attend monthly Continuous Professional Development sessions. I don't offer a health & safety advisory service, because I'm not currently eligible for further accreditation with NZISM. I can help connect you to a HASANZ registered advisor.
I operate within our code of ethics by
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only running training workshops developed by WorksafeReps
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limiting my guidance to my areas of competence
2021-
Health & Safety Trainer
I deliver interactive online WorksafeReps workshops, including De-Escalation (returning soon), initial HSR training (Stage 1), and training for managers, team leaders and supervisors. Moderation of assessment for US29315 is by the Open Polytechnic, through iQualify.
In order to effectively manage my chronic health condition I don't deliver face-to-face sessions outside of Kāpiti/Horowhenua.
2006-2021
Union Organiser & Educator
I was assigned to organisations across public sector agencies, including local government, public service and the wider state sector. Each year, I lead 5-15 Collective Agreement negotiations, facilitated delegate training, coached teams of delegates, lead sector groups and represented individual union members through complex employment relationship issues. I treasured this role until my chronic health condition made full-time work untenable.
I'm part of the WorksafeReps team. We're governed by the Workers' Education Trust, running worker-centric health & safety training since 2003.
We've collaborated with safety-focused government agencies and other reputable training providers to develop quality training courses for workers throughout Aotearoa. We deliver our unit standard US2315 through the Open Polytechnic of NZ.
The Trust made some big changes to our operating model in 2022. Trainers are still well supported by the Trust to ensure quality, and we now run our own marketing, administration and finances. Our lower costs mean we can serve more people.
If you're after inclusive online training and support no matter where you work, stick with me. Otherwise, my WorksafeReps colleagues are happy to quote for face to face in-house workshops.