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Real operators. No layers in between.

The collective is a new name. The experience behind it is anything but. CRE8 brings four established people specialist practices under one roof: recruitment, business advisory, dispute resolution, and graduate coaching. When you call, you deal with the person whose name is on the work.

Why a collective

Most people problems don't arrive one at a time.

A hiring problem often turns out to be a leadership problem. A team conflict often started as a hiring problem. A graduate who struggles in their first role usually needed coaching nobody offered. Treating these as separate purchases from separate providers means nobody sees the whole picture.

The usual answer is a stack of providers: a recruitment company, an HR consultant, a business mentor, an executive coach, an employment relations specialist, a mediator. The result is fragmented advice, duplicated costs and nobody seeing the whole picture. Building that capability in-house would cost most businesses hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in salaries alone.

That is why the CRE8 brand was founded, bringing Kat Evans's recruitment practice, Kate Ross's advisory and career businesses, and Denise Evans's dispute resolution practice together under one roof. Each established in its own right, now working as one collective.

CRE8 works differently. Four divisions share one back office, one relationship, and one standard. Brief one division and the others are a hallway conversation away, not a new procurement process.

Nationwide, working right across Aotearoa, in person and online.

The people behind CRE8

Real bios, real credentials, on the public record.

Portrait of Kat Evans

Kat Evans

Founder | Director | Executive Search & Business Operations

Co-founder of the CRE8 brand. 15+ years in NZ recruitment.

Full bio
Portrait of Emily Kozlowski

Emily Kozlowski

Corporate Services & Generalist Recruitment Consultant

Corporate services and generalist recruitment across New Zealand.

Full bio
Portrait of Nikkie White

Nikkie White

Executive Search | Senior Recruitment Consultant

Executive search and career development expertise.

Full bio
Portrait of Kate Ross

Kate Ross

Founder | Director | Advisory, Growth & Emerging Talent

Built a nationwide recruitment business over 27 years, sold to an overseas global.

Full bio
Portrait of Lisa Willis

Lisa Willis

Senior HR & Employment Relations Consultant

25+ years in senior HR and people & capability roles.

Full bio
Portrait of Denise Evans

Denise Evans

Director | Principal Dispute Resolution

30+ years in business. Accredited mediator, facilitator and trainer.

Full bio
Portrait of Dr. Marcia Johnson

Dr. Marcia Johnson

Quality Improvement & Professional Practice Specialist

40+ years across business, leadership and tertiary education.

Full bio

Every stage of the journey

Wherever your business sits today, the support evolves with you.

Every business faces different challenges throughout its journey. Many clients arrive with one specific problem and stay because the support keeps pace as their needs change.

01

Start-Up

Foundations, systems, recruitment strategy, leadership capability and growth plans.

02

Growth

Recruitment, leadership development, culture, retention and organisational capability.

03

Scale

Leadership teams, workforce planning, succession pathways and organisational design.

04

Transition

Business sale, acquisition, executive transition, restructuring and change.

05

Legacy

Leadership continuity, governance support, succession planning and sustainability.

Our commitment

Every engagement is built on five things.

Partnership

Trusted, long-term relationships.

Integrity

Honest advice and transparent communication.

Excellence

Exceptional service and outcomes.

Accountability

Taking ownership of results.

Outcomes

Measurable value, not activity reports.

The right people. The right leadership. The right advice. When those three come together, businesses thrive. That is the power of CRE8 Collective.

Not sure which division you need?

Tell us what's going on. We'll route you to the right person, usually same day.