GREENSTONE RECRUITMENT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Client Manager - Christchurch Branch
Abigail is our Christchurch Client Manager and assists the advisers in ensuring all documentation is prepared correctly. Originally from the Philippines, Abigail has over 10 years of work experience as a visa officer and consular officer with the Embassy of Norway in the Philippines. In these roles, she gained first-hand experience with immigration, visa processing, and consular assistance.
Abigail holds a New Zealand Certificate in Project Management from the Southern Institute of Technology in New Zealand and a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Lyceum of the Philippines University.
Abigail loves traveling and enjoys developing relationships with people of all cultures.
Barbara has been with Greenstone since 2008. She started as the Office Administrator before progressing to her current role as Finance Administrator.
Barbara has a New Zealand Certificate of Commerce and has worked in various office roles during her career. She is married to Grant and has four children.
Job Titles:
- Licensed Immigration Adviser - IAA 201002037
Carol joined Greenstone Global in 2010 and is a fully licensed senior adviser in the Hamilton office with many years of experience with all types of temporary and resident visa applications.
Originally from Ohio, USA, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Miami University and she previously worked for the Ohio state legislature. She spent 14 years in the tertiary education sector in New Zealand prior to working at Greenstone.
Now a New Zealand citizen, Carol is married to her Kiwi husband, Blair. They met in Te Aroha when Carol was an exchange student in high school. They have three adult children who are involved in tertiary studies and her eldest is making a mark at Weta Digital in Wellington.
Carol and her husband enjoy the beautiful New Zealand walks and will spend most weekends hiking or going to the beach. During the week, Carol can be found dancing at Zumba classes or walking with friends along the Hamilton River.
Cherry is our Recruitment Coordinator. She just recently moved to New Zealand from the Philippines.
Cherry holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's in counselling psychology. She has 20 years of experience in all facets of Human Resource Management, which includes recruitment, talent management, compensation and benefits, and labour relations. She also worked as a counsellor for 10 years in the rehabilitation of children coming from difficult backgrounds.
Cherry's passion for working with people to achieve self-growth and development helps ensure that Greenstone's clients receive the best possible service and that candidates are settled and engaged in their new jobs.
In her spare time, Cherry enjoys reading or listening to inspirational podcasts, and spending time with her two children playing chess or badminton.
Languages: English, Visayan/Cebuano, Tagalog
Job Titles:
- Licensed Immigration Adviser ( Provisional ) IAA 202400110 Technical Consultant
Dafydd lived in the UK before coming to New Zealand with his wife in 2009. He has a master's degree in Physics from the University of Wales Aberystwyth and worked for Immigration New Zealand for 13 years, progressing through the ranks to Immigration Manager, before joining Greenstone Immigration in 2023.
He is an avid supporter of the Chiefs and Waikato since settling in Hamilton and enjoys spending time with his family, playing board games, cooking and getting outdoors.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director & Licensed Adviser - IAA 200900399
Graydon is a director of Greenstone Recruitment and also a fully licensed immigration adviser. He started Greenstone Recruitment in early 2006 after recognising the need for quality employees while working as a senior Rural Bank Manager for Bank of New Zealand. He is well known as an industry specialist in his field. Graydon has been a finalist in the NZAMI Immigration Adviser/Lawyer of the year awards.
Graydon has an Honours degree in Economics and 10 years of banking experience: 3 years as a Senior Rural Banker with the BNZ and 7 years of Investment Banking experience in South Africa. He is a keen sportsman and has completed multiple Ultra-marathons and marathons. He grew up on a beef and sheep farm in South Africa and he and his family moved to New Zealand in 2001.
Job Titles:
- Licensed Immigration Adviser - IAA 201700609
Haley is one of our Licensed Immigration Advisers. Haley joined Greenstone in 2014 in the role of Administrator before moving into a Client Services Manager role. Haley took some time off when she had her son Jack at the end of 2015 and now returns to Greenstone Global as a Fully Licensed Immigration Adviser. She has a Bachelor of Business majoring in Marketing from Unitec and a Graduate Certificate in Immigration Advice from Toi Ohomai, where she received the runner-up award for second highest marks over courses B and C (Temporary and Resident visas).
Haley was born in New Zealand and grew up in the small town of Pauanui on the Coromandel Peninsula where she now lives with her husband Greg and son Jack.
Job Titles:
- Recruiter: Trades and Engineering
Languages: English, Visayan/Cebuano, Tagalog.
John is our Trade Recruitment Consultant. He is originally from the Philippines and graduated Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Starting a career in the Philippines, he worked as a Recruitment Officer in the Overseas Placement agency, specialising in Trades and Engineering. John has over 12 years of experience working at the Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) handling Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) programs and services. He was directly involved in recruitment, organising Job Fairs with recruitment agencies, coordinating with the Philippine Overseas Labour Office (POLO) to resolve welfare cases and providing scholarship/livelihood assistance to OFW Families and their dependents.
John moved to New Zealand in February 2016 and earned a Diploma in Business Level 7 at Edenz Colleges in Auckland. At Greenstone, John continues his passion for being a Recruitment Consultant helping migrants find work in New Zealand.
Job Titles:
- Licensed Immigration Adviser ( Provisional ) - IAA 202301063
Karena joined Greenstone Immigration in January 2022. She is originally from Spokane, Washington, USA. Karena holds a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Languages & International Affairs and a Masters in Montessori Elementary Education.
Having been a teacher for over twenty years, Karena decided to make a career move and is now a proud licensed immigration adviser with a provisional licence.
Having lived in numerous countries, Karena brings a wealth of cultural understanding and a unique perspective to Greenstone. Her ability to foster inclusivity and create welcoming environments stems from her diverse experiences. Karena effortlessly communicates with clients from various backgrounds, catering to their individual needs. Her proficiency in multiple languages adds a layer of diversity, making her an invaluable asset to Greenstone.
Languages: English, Spanish and French
Job Titles:
- Office Administrator
- Greenstone 's Office Administrator
Kay is Greenstone's Office Administrator and will be your first port of call, either in person or by telephone. Kay was born in Martinborough in the Wairarapa and has worked and lived in Wellington, Auckland and Hamilton.She began her career in Banking, working for two different Banks in Wellington and Hamilton for a total of 18 years. While her daughter was growing up she had other part time roles with an Export and an Import company in Auckland. She then spent 13 years at a Chartered Accountants firm. Kay loves people and enjoys spending time with her family and friends while enjoying cooking, travelling and reading.
Job Titles:
- Recruiter
- Greenstone As Dairy Recruitment Consultant
Louise joined Greenstone as Dairy Recruitment Consultant, having previously worked for Livestock Improvement and more recently spending five years with the Primary ITO as a Training Adviser.
Louise Studied Media Arts at Wintec and worked for seven years in Advertising. She is currently working towards completing her New Zealand Agribusiness Diploma.
Louise and her husband have 3 Children and a Dairy Farm in the Waikato.
Job Titles:
- Licensed Immigration Adviser - IAA 200900318
Marie started working as a Licensed Immigration Adviser in 2009, while working as a Recruitment Consultant in the Agricultural Sector for eight years. In this role, Marie travelled to Indonesia and the Philippines to recruit dairy farmers to New Zealand. Just prior to joining Greenstone, Marie worked for five years in a busy immigration specialist company, where she worked with a wide range of clients and application types. Marie enjoys being able to advocate and support those from all backgrounds to achieve their immigration goals.
Marie grew up in Christchurch and completed her Bachelor of Communication Studies at Waikato University. She also studied International Business in Turin, Italy. Marie currently lives in Cambridge with her young family, and she enjoys the outdoors and mountain biking.
Maureen grew up in South Africa and immigrated to New Zealand in 2018. She holds a bachelor's degree in Audiovisual Production Management and worked in the South African television industry for some years before changing careers to join the advertising industry. Maureen has more than 15 years of experience in media, having filled various roles in planning, strategy, account- and project management.
She loves art and singing has been a large part of her life, which has taken her around the world. Maureen currently lives just outside Hamilton and enjoys the outdoors and taking road trips with her young family.
Job Titles:
- Recruitment Manager
- Lead Recruiter
Phil Hughes is our Lead Recruiter. He has been in the recruitment and HR industry for over 12 years, working in large corporates and HR companies including Kelly Services, with a focus on customer service (both clients and candidates). He enjoys placing people into a role where they can succeed and grow from their experience. Phil has a passion for the outdoors and lives on a lifestyle block with his wife, where he dabbles in small-scale dairy and beef farming. He has a Masters's Degree in Business and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business from Waikato University. Originally from the United Kingdom, Phil has been in NZ for 25 years.
Renee was born in New Zealand and grew up in Hamilton. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Philosophy from Waikato University. She completed her Graduate Diploma in Immigration Advice in 2019 and holds a Certificate in Adult Teaching 2010. Renee worked in the Telecommunications Industry for 18 years and then moved to work at Inland Revenue for 5 years. Renee is also a business owner and was self-employed for 2 years as an Immigration Adviser, before joining Greenstone in 2021.
In 1995 she returned to NZ after her OE and founded the Waikato Turkish Society with her Turkish husband. She has 2 adult children who live in Hamilton.
Ruth is our Senior Client Manager. She supports the LIAs to ensure that documentation is correct and oversees and trains the Client Manager team so that processes are streamlined throughout.
Her working career started at the ANZ Bank, where she worked for 10 years and progressed through the ranks to Branch Manager. Ruth has a National Certificate in Business Studies.
Prior to joining Greenstone, she worked in various administrative and financial roles, as well as being a Learn To Swim teacher for many years. Her three daughters were all competitive swimmers, so she has also been very involved with the swimming community in the Waikato and on a National level.
Job Titles:
- Licensed Immigration Adviser - IAA 201600793
Steven is one of our Licensed Immigration Advisers. He completed his Graduate Certificate in New Zealand Immigration Advice from the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic in Tauranga in 2016 and served his two-year period as a provisional license holder at Greenstone before becoming a fully Licensed Immigration Adviser in June 2018. Steven has dealt with the full spectrum of immigration cases and is valued by all his clients.
Steven was born in New Zealand and grew up in a multitude of places including Christchurch, Thames, Mussoorie (India), Suva (Fiji), Palmerston North, Auckland, Osaka (Japan) and Shanghai (China). He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science from Massey University but his career has taken him in other directions including teaching, banking and marketing.
After 13 years of living abroad, Steven is now based in Hamilton, New Zealand. He is well-versed in speaking business Mandarin.
Job Titles:
- Director & Licensed Adviser - IAA 200800527
- Immigration Adviser and Director of Greenstone
Vanessa is a Licensed Immigration Adviser and Director of Greenstone. She was one of the first advisers to be licenced in 2008. Vanessa was a finalist in two categories of industry awards hosted by the NZAMI in 2013 - Immigration Adviser/Lawyer of the year and NZAMI Service Award. She enjoys challenging residence cases and appeals.
Vanessa grew up in South Africa. She has a Masters degree in Economics from Rand Afrikaans University and 8 years of Banking experience in New Zealand and South Africa. She has served as a Board Member of the New Zealand Association for Migration and Investment (NZAMI) and on the Immigration Advisers Authority Reference Group.
Vanessa is fluent in Afrikaans.