Recognition across five categories at the 2026 RCSA Industry Awards in New Zealand highlights a standout year for Stellar Recruitment, with both individual and team achievements acknowledged. The finalist categories include: 

Outstanding Large Agency 

Excellence in Safety and Wellbeing Culture 

Recruitment Leader - Kymberly Tupai 

Recruitment Professional - Sally Paris 

Rising Star - Paul Miller 

Together, these acknowledgements highlight a business that continues to evolve, invest in its people, and deliver meaningful outcomes for clients, candidates, and communities across New Zealand. 

Over the past year, Stellar has continued to strengthen its national footprint and service offering - expanding into new regions, investing in specialist capability, and delivering consistent results at scale. 

For Managing Director Robbie McIlraith, the recognition is a reflection of the people behind those outcomes. “Being named a finalist across five categories is something we are incredibly proud of. It reflects the great effort our teams put in every day to deliver high standards, support one another, and do right by our clients and candidates. These results don’t happen by chance, they come from a genuinely committed group of people.” 

Kymberly Tupai’s nomination for Recruitment Leader of the Year recognises a period of significant growth and leadership across the Northern Region. Her people-first approach, paired with disciplined execution, has delivered measurable outcomes in a challenging market and the successful launch of new specialist desks. 

Kymberly also led the rollout of the Stellar Excellence Program, accelerating consultant development while maintaining high-quality service delivery nationwide. 

“Leadership, to me, is about creating an environment where people can do their best work and feel supported while doing it,” says Tupai. “This recognition really belongs to the team and the way they show up - for each other, for our clients, and for the candidates we support.” 

With over two decades in the industry, Sally Paris’ nomination for Recruitment Professional of the Year reflects her deep expertise, ethical approach, and commitment to raising the bar. 

Since joining Stellar, Sally has scaled high-performing teams and significantly lifted capability, with her team achieving multiple individual and team milestones. 

Her approach combines technical rigour with genuine care, ensuring strong outcomes without compromising candidate experience. 

“Good recruitment is about trust and consistency,” Paris says. “You build that over time by doing what you say you will, being transparent, and genuinely caring about the outcome for everyone involved.” 

Stellar’s recognition for Excellence in Safety and Wellbeing Culture reflects a deeply embedded, organisation-wide commitment to protecting and supporting its workforce. With ISO 45001-certified systems, thousands of site visits annually, and aftercare engagement rates consistently excelling, safety is not just a process, it is a daily practice. 



Senior Health & Safety Advisor Olivia Yardley highlights the collective nature of this achievement. “This recognition belongs to everyone across the business. From consultants on the ground to our support teams, safety is something we actively live every day. It’s about creating an environment where people feel supported, informed, and genuinely looked after.” 

Paul Miller’s Rising Star nomination reflects the kind of impact that extends beyond results alone. After establishing Stellar’s Dunedin presence from the ground up, Paul has delivered strong outcomes while staying deeply connected to the local community which include the Dunedin hospital. Miller said, “Being part of the Dunedin Hospital project is something I don’t take lightly. It is a place that looked after me, and now I get to help build a workforce that will support others in the future, that is a full circle moment.” 

Alongside this, Stellar’s Outstanding Large Agency finalist position recognises the strength of our national model, combining local expertise with scalable infrastructure, from in-house safety and immigration to housing and aftercare support. 

While the awards night on 23 July presents an exciting milestone, the recognition itself reinforces something more enduring: a business built on strong values, continuous improvement, and a commitment to doing things the right way. 

As McIlraith adds, “We are proud of this recognition, but more importantly, we are proud of how we have got here. It is about building something sustainable, supporting our people, and continuing to raise the standard across the industry.”