It's all about the people!

In today's Humans of Steel edition of Stirring the Pot, we sit down with Noel Davies, director of Hydro Link, former chair of HERA, and one of Aotearoa New Zealand's most quietly influential business leaders. Noel joined the Navy at 16, made lieutenant commander by 28, then bought a tiny engineering division out of receivership and grew it past $100M. He chaired HERA for 30 years as the only non-engineer to ever hold the role, became an initial trustee of HEERF, and was awarded the Order of New Zealand for services to engineering, business, and community. In this conversation, Noel talks about what military life taught him about people and leadership, how he navigated a business purchase that landed straight into receivership, why culture is the foundation of every strategy, and what he learned from 30 years sitting at the table of Aotearoa New Zealand's heavy engineering sector. He also shares the story behind his book, The Guide to Successful Business Partnerships, and why his wife asked if it applied to marriage. His answer to almost every question comes back to the same thing. It's all about the people. Resources and links Connect with HERA team - Learn more about HERA's Industry 4.0 rangahau:

You can listen to It's all about the people! online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

It's all about the people! is an episode from Stirring The Pot by HERA.

This episode is 36:10 long.

This episode was published on Apr 29, 2026.

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