3R - Careers

Why work at 3R?

At 3R, we leverage expertise, innovation, and creativity to achieve sustainability goals for clients’ industries and government bodies. Our services, from supporting product stewardship to waste disposal, reflect a commitment to holistic sustainability solutions.

If you’re a big thinker who values innovation, clear communication, and impactful results, 3R offers a dynamic environment to make a meaningful impact.

There are great reasons to work at 3R

Purpose Driven

Working at 3R means being part of a purpose-driven organisation committed to sustainability and positive change. Your efforts contribute to real results that make a difference.
Opportunities to learn

We foster a culture of mentorship – tuakana/teina, and provide you with opportunities to grow your skills and develop your career. Our collaborative work environment encourages learning and professional advancement.
Well-being

Your well-being matters to us. As part of our commitment to our team, we provide health insurance coverage to permanent team members and an employee assistance programme (EAP) to ensure you have the support you need. A hybrid working model for our office based team provides the flexibility to maintain a balanced lifestyle.
Contribute to our community

We understand the importance of giving back. That’s why we offer 6 days per annum Good Friday leave to all permanent employees, empowering you to use that time to make a positive impact in the community.

Meet our team

Chris Hewitt

Lower North Island Area Manager

Chris was attracted to join the 3R team by our values and the opportunity to walk the talk in his mahi. Read more

Dominic Salmon

Business development

Dom's days involve a lot of meaningful conversations and meetings as well as working with remarkable organisations with aligned goals Find out more

Steve Nicholls

Innovation Project Lead

As Innovation Project Lead Steve and his team play a vital role exploring and developing commercial opportunities from things we typically think of as waste. Read more

Gemma Burnside

Product Innovation Engineer

Gemma has returned to 3R after working with us as an intern in 2019. Find out what drew here back here. Read more

More about our team

Find out more about our team and how we work with our communities.

Greenhushing – when fear gets in the way of sustainability

20-05-2024 / Consumer goods / People and community / Re-imagining

It feels like every week another story about brands being publicly lambasted for greenwashing hits the headlines. Unfortunately, many local brands don’t talk about their sustainability journey at all, favouring silence for fear of getting it wrong.

Where 3R began – with two men in a shed

17-04-2024 / E wana ake: 20 years of 3R / People and community / Product Stewardship

Twenty years ago, in a rural shed just outside Hastings, two men sat down to solve a problem. Armed with a couple of laptops, an innovative mindset, and a vision to tackle waste in a different way, Graeme Norton and Bruce Emerson formed what would be

Careers at 3R: Gemma Burnside

6-03-2024 / Careers at 3R / People and community

Gemma Burnside had completed an internship at 3R in 2019 and started as our Product Innovation Engineer in 2024.

Home-grown sustainability work in the Bay

2-02-2024 / People and community

Hawke’s Bay has a lot going for it. We also have some businesses and organisations doing good things in the sustainability space.

Careers at 3R: Dominic Salmon

16-11-2023 / Careers at 3R / People and community

Dominic Salmon joined the 3R team in May 2017 coming from a diverse background including at Wellington Zoo, Regional Councils, and local government. Find out why he works at 3R.

Careers at 3R: Chris Hewitt

1-11-2023 / Careers at 3R / People and community

Chris Hewitt came from a background in Warehousing and logistics. Joining the 3R team in May 2023 his role is the Lower North Island Area Manager. Find out why Chris enjoys his mahi at 3R.

Where sustainability and social enterprise meet

22-08-2023 / People and community / recycling / reuse / social enterprise

What do you think recycled paint, expired child car seats and an Auckland social enterprise have in common? There is some surprising synergy in the answer.

3R Group sponsorship of House of Science teaching kit

Scientifically literate kids – an investment in the future

7-08-2022 / People and community

Published in Bay Buzz It’s been, let’s say, a few years since I was in school but one thing which hasn’t changed is the importance of science. To be honest I remember the subject being quite challenging at school, but it gave me a solid enough

Leading kids into the House of Science

6-05-2022 / Circular Economy / People and community

An innovative programme aimed at raising science literacy in primary and intermediate schools is proving hugely popular - and we’ve jumped on board to help it reach its full potential in Hawke’s Bay.

ISO accreditation 3R health and safety team

Taking the health and safety high road

3-02-2022 / Compliance and certification / People and community

For a business to thrive it’s the employees who must come first. We couldn’t agree more which is why the health & safety of our people safe is top priority.

3R team good friday tree planting at Mangarara

NZ’s big green, carbon eating machine (not trees)

7-12-2021 / Climate change / People and community

Mangarara Station in Central Hawke's Bay is an excellent example of regenerative agriculture and how farming can fight climate change on a big scale.

3R's Dominic Salmon on low carbon transport

Hawke’s Bay could lead the way in low-carbon transport

2-04-2021 / Climate change / People and community

If just 5% of all short, vehicle-based urban trips in New Zealand were done by bike it would save about 22 million litres of fuel and reduce GHG emissions by about 54,000 tonnes.

3R Trojan Kawana of LIFT dismantles a child car seat for recycling at 3R Group

Child car seat recycling helps lift youth employment

18-09-2020 / Media Releases / People and community / Product Stewardship

Dismantling child car seats isn’t the first thing which comes to mind when finding work experience, but a group of young men and women from LIFT Youth Employment have been taking it in their stride.

Why I’m celebrating the government’s latest announcement on waste

11-08-2020 / Circular Economy / People and community / Product Stewardship

Adele Rose explains why the Ministry of the Environment's recent announcement on priority products means to her.

3R Adele Rose speaks at the Government announcement on regulated product stewardship

3R Group CE speaks at priority product announcement

31-07-2020 / People and community / Policy, regulation and legislation / Product Stewardship

3R's CEO Adele Rose recently spoke at the Government announcement on regulated product stewardship. Read her speech.

3R Working from home has become a new normal

A look at the future of work

28-04-2020 / People and community

The importance of relationships between employees and employers and the way we work and interact has never been more relevant.

ChemCollect helps plant trees in our back yard

1-04-2020 / Hazardous waste management / People and community

Our latest donation to Million Metres Streams has gone to plant trees at the Brookby Project – Papakura Stream in Auckland. Our Auckland depot is located in Papakura – which is just opposite where the stream empties into the Pahurehure Inlet,

People, people, people – the future of work

17-05-2019 / People and community

People should always be at the centre of the future of work, writes 3R Group Chief Executive Adele Rose.

Chemical collection service helps add to Million Metres planting

25-01-2019 / Hazardous waste management / People and community

Six months worth of work by 3R Group's ChemCollect service has not only meant some 8.8 tonnes of chemicals have been properly collected and disposed of, but a Central Hawke's Bay stream restoration project has benefited too.

Courtyard facelift with recycled paint

10-09-2018 / Paint and textiles / People and community / Product Stewardship

The back courtyard at our 3R offices has been transformed, using recycled paint for a mural.

3R American student interns Cristal Pugel, left, and Katelynn Horner

Accepting the Plastic Free July challenge

7-08-2018 / People and community / Waste reduction

Can you live without plastic? Can you go even just one month without using it? It’s a far more difficult challenge than you might think.

Cleaner looking beach still needs a clean-up

28-05-2018 / People and community

With such regular news stories about the huge issue of plastic in the ocean it’s refreshing to find a beach in Hawke’s Bay looking relatively clean.

Chemical collections help fund Million Metres Streams planting

19-12-2017 / People and community

Chemical collections - we decided to donate $200 for every tonne of materials collected by our ChemCollect service to a Million Metres Streams Project.