Respect comes first for the Northern Administration Team – always.
It’s what anchors a team built across cultures, where the majority have chosen Aotearoa New Zealand as their new home.
Maoko Kubo, Mary Ramirez, Claudette Canoy and Giang Nguyen came to Aotearoa with different skills, expectations and perspectives. Led by Nely Deluman, they’re working alongside colleagues Annie Phillips, Jane Busacaino, Jewel Gandionco and Kay Edwards.
It’s the team’s differences that drive better outcomes for customers.
Broader thinking. Wider skill sets. Adaptability. Diversity is what drives our organisation.
For Maoko, it’s the shared experience of finding a sense of belonging in New Zealand that fosters a deeper respect for her colleagues.
While selling cosmetics at Narita International Airport in Tokyo, she overheard a customer question why staff could not speak English. The comment stuck, so she enrolled in an English language course in San Francisco, which then led her to work in Australia and New Zealand.
“Japan was an isolated country when I was growing up,” she says. “You rarely met foreigners. Now working with so many nationalities in New Zealand, I feel much more open-minded.”
Today, Maoko is confident in her English but explains that miscommunication happens regardless of language skills, because everyone interprets things in their own way.
Mary echoes this, recalling a time when a working relationship was strained due to different expectations and approaches.
“Once we took the time to understand each other properly, we could focus on solutions. One of my closest work friendships came from that experience,” says Mary.
Previously an IT consultant in the Philippines, Mary was also raising a family of two boys, whom she could only see on weekends due to work and traffic challenges. Her life took a 180-degree turn when she landed in Aotearoa. She’s now home with her boys after school and is the end user of the SAP software she once consulted on.
Mary says her time in New Zealand has demonstrated the value of kindness.
“It sets a country apart when kindness is a shared value. I see it in my children’s school curriculum and in their peers’ behaviour. I feel it in our workplace, as well as when I’m walking down the street.”
For Claudette, kindness and respect go hand in hand. She intentionally takes the time to understand her colleagues and says this was already in action when she started at OCS.
Formerly a director of business training in the Philippines, Claudette met her husband in 2023 and moved to Aotearoa for love. She says work is different in New Zealand because everyone feels like family.
“At OCS, people respect your time and your skills,” says Claudette. “Within our team, we understand each other’s strengths, limits, and boundaries. That allows us to provide support when it’s needed and step back when it’s not.”
Giang, the newest member of the team, joined OCS in February 2026 after changing careers and moving to a new country. Previously working in a high-pressure role as a legal executive in Vietnam, Giang had reached a point where she wanted more flexibility in her working life. That decision eventually led her to complete a Master of Supply Chain Management at Auckland University of Technology last year.
“Law felt too rigid for me, so I looked to business for more flexible thinking,” explains Giang. “In my role at OCS, there’s no expectation to work overtime. There’s no overwhelm. This feels sustainable for the long term.”
“I appreciate my colleagues’ patience and commitment to helping me learn the role, and I like that there is a sense of togetherness.”
Maoko, Mary, Claudette and Giang have all discovered a better work-life balance in Aotearoa, with flexible hours and a culture that prioritises family. Claudette says she can request annual leave without explanation for the first time in her career, and Maoko has the time to be in nature during the week.
Across the team, there’s an understanding that everyone brings different experiences, communication styles and perspectives to work each day.
Respecting those differences and taking the time to understand them have helped build a team where people feel supported, valued, and comfortable being themselves.
