Pacific Worksafe leader ‘honoured and grateful’

Humility and gratitude marked the moment Hans Allen Key learned he was named on the New Year Honours List for 2025.

New Zealand’s annual New Year Honours List celebrates individuals who have made significant contributions to their communities across various fields, including public service and humanitarian work.

Key, National Advisor Pacific Responsiveness for Worksafe Action, was honoured for his services to health and safety and Pacific communities.

His award reflects decades of commitment to ensuring workers' safety.

“I feel really honoured and grateful”, he said.

“I like to fly under the radar basically. I like to do the work and then step away and move on to the next project or the next sector.”

Key began his public service career in 1995 as an Immigration Officer. By 2002, he had become an Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Inspector with the Department of Labour and later transitioned to a WorkSafe Health and Safety Inspector in 2013.

He has also developed literacy and numeracy programmes outside standard working hours to further support workers’ overall wellbeing, incorporating Sāmoan and Tongan languages along with Pacific values and principles.

“So, I feel honoured for the work that they've put in for a long time,” he said.

Wake-up call

Key’s interest in safety began at home, inspired by his father, a builder for churches who would return home with bandaged fingers.

“My Mum worked in the 1950s in Ōtara, and she was always in the manufacturing industry. She’d come home heavily-bandaged and say she got bit in the machine.

“It’s a good way of waking up about health and safety.”

This experience shaped his passion for ensuring workers, especially those unfamiliar with their rights, could return home safely each day.

Key later met his late wife, Michelle Key, and together, they raised three children whom he cherishes deeply.

History of service

Key’s career has been focused on preventing harm in workplaces and caring for those who might be vulnerable to abuse.

His work has earned him the Public Service Commissioner's Commendation for Excellence at the Public Service Day Awards 2023.

This year Hanga-Aro-Rau found one in five of the Pacific workforce are labourers. Photo /Unsplash.

He said his role dives into presenting a “Pacific lens” or cultural understanding of the unique challenges faced by the Pacific workforce.

He said there is often a lack of awareness about legal protections, which leaves seasonal or migrant workers vulnerable to unsafe practices. This issue can go unnoticed, given that Pacific workers represent a small percentage of the country’s workforce.

“So, in 2006, we launched the Puataunofo ‘Come Home Safely’ programme, which has been running ever since.

“Basically, it’s a programme where we educate and raise awareness of safety for workers in the workplace.

“It’s empowering them, educating them, and giving them the information and the right to know the workplace’s responsibilities under the law.”

Key has delivered over 300 Puataunofo workshops for more than 5000 workers and community members, along with over 100 health and safety workshops at churches, schools, and community organisations.

Puataunofo was also recognised at the 2009 New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards and received the ACC Best Leadership of an Industry Sector Award in 2012.

Hans Allen Key being honoured under the Public Service Award 2023. Photo /Website/publicservice.govt.nz

WorkSafe formally adopted the programme in 2018, further embedding its approach across New Zealand’s workplaces.

‘Speak up, tautala’

Key’s main message to the Pacific workforce is to remember that “your family is waiting for you”, and to keep in mind that if your work is not finished, there is always tomorrow.

“The main thing is you need to go home and rest.

"If there’s anything that’s not right and you have a complaint, speak up - tautala, we’re allowed to speak up.

“These are the things we do to empower the workers.”

Key expressed immense gratitude to his late mother and wife for supporting him and his mission and contributing to his development into the person he is today.