Waikato employment company WeCan connecting people to jobs

As Waikato continues to grow, the region’s broader success will increasingly depend on how effectively it mobilises its workforce.

Growth only translates into economic momentum when businesses are able to put the right people into the right roles.

That belief sits at the heart of WeCan, a Waikato‑based employment company quietly reshaping how people on the margins re‑enter meaningful work.

“We focus on two things: attitude and reliability,” says co‑founder Junior Tyrell. “If we can find people who show up every day and want to learn, we can work with that.”

Nearly 90 per cent of people referred through WeCan are placed into jobs, reflecting a deliberately practical, structured model that tests commitment and consistency rather than paper qualifications.

“We begin at 7am,” Junior says. “We do physical training together, all shapes and sizes, and once we’ve done some exercise, we then do the bookwork. It’s a test, really. It’s about seeing who is consistent and reliable. We look for people with the right attitude.”

Junior says data has become increasingly important in understanding where opportunities lie. “Many of our competitors are just randomly knocking on doors and relying on anecdotes,” he says.

“We take a different approach, using AI to look at which sectors are hiring and what skills they want. We look at what’s actually happening in the region and align our business to that demand.”

That data‑led model has been reinforced through WeCan’s relationship with ANZ and has included its access to the bank’s HowTwo Small Business Support Programme.

“It gave us a heap of practical support where it counts, including some great tools and insights,” Junior says. “That’s helped us focus on what matters most: getting results.”

“It’s also given me confidence to make decisions and back them,” he says. “When you’re working in workforce development, clarity matters.”

WeCan was profitable in its first year, a rare outcome in the sector, and growth is now the priority with plans to expand services.

“Waikato is growing. People are arriving. Employers need workers,” he says. “If we can connect the right people with the right attitude to real jobs, that’s how the regional economy moves forward,” Junior says.

WeCan is featured in the ANZ Waikato Regional Spotlight Report.