Roger Roger Marketing operates in a fast-paced, data-heavy environment, managing multiple clients, campaigns, projects, and performance metrics across the business.

As the business continued to grow, the team recognised the importance of strengthening operational visibility, delivery consistency, and utilisation management to support sustainable growth and informed decision-making.

The Challenge

The team had strong strategic direction and clear business objectives, but execution visibility and operational consistency needed refinement to support the next phase of growth.

The key challenges were:

• Large volumes of operational and delivery data requiring improved consistency and accuracy.
• Limited visibility across profitability, utilisation, forecasting, and reporting.
• The need to refine delivery governance, operational workflows, and best-practice project structures.
• Creating a scalable operational foundation to support continued business growth

What Alxemy Delivered

Alxemy implemented PMO Lite Setup tailored for Roger Roger to mitigate the key challenges and support the business growth using the template PMO roadmap below.

Key Results

• Improved visibility of the current operational state across projects and delivery.
• Delivery and implementation of three priority quick wins.
• Establishment of best-practice processes to support ongoing data accuracy.
• Development of a practical 30-60-90 day PMO roadmap.
• Introduction of MVP reporting frameworks to support data-driven decision-making.
• Greater consistency across project delivery and operational workflows

The Experience

First 30 Days – Building Momentum

From the start, the experience was highly collaborative, with clear direction and steady progress.

“Working with Cel and the Alxemy team from day one, we were moving forward.” “The whole process was really easy, structured, well planned, and incredibly clear.” “Communication was phenomenal. We always knew what was coming next.”  – Cory Gordon, Owner

60 Days – Embedding the Structure

By this stage, the operational structure was not only implemented but actively being adopted across the business.

“The team is now taking this structure and bringing it across every single active project.” – Charlene Koekemoer, Head of Client Service

The team began working more consistently, with clearer expectations and alignment across projects.

90 Days – Confidence & Strategic Shift

At the 90-day mark, the focus began shifting from foundational setup to long-term optimisation and strategic planning.

“We were already in a really good spot from a foundational perspective, and now we’re moving into that post-foundation phase. We’re confident the data going in is accurate, which means we can step back, learn from it, and start applying those insights to our long-term strategy.”

– Cory Gordon, Owner

Wrap Up

Alxemy’s approach extended beyond simply implementing PMO Lite. The team worked closely alongside Roger Roger Marketing to understand how the business operated, where operational friction existed, and what practical structures were needed to support sustainable growth.

As Cory, Founder of Roger Roger Marketing, shared:

Roger Roger Marketing moved from a highly reactive, data-heavy environment to one with clearer priorities, improved operational visibility, stronger delivery alignment, and greater confidence in decision-making.

With PMO Lite in place, the business now operates with:

• Improved reporting confidence
• Stronger governance and delivery consistency
• Greater visibility across operational performance
• More structured project and workflow management
• A scalable operational foundation to support future growth

This was not simply about implementing a PMO framework. It was about creating clarity, improving operational confidence, and enabling the business to make more informed strategic decisions as it continues to grow.

A Datapay payroll migration is rarely just a technical exercise. For Ritchies Transport, it was a compliance challenge first and Alxemy was embedded from extraction to go-live.

The Challenge

When Ritchies Transport made the decision to move from MYOB Exo to Datapay, the goal was clear. Modernise payroll, improve compliance, and move quickly.

But the path to go-live was anything but straightforward.

The migration needed to happen under time pressure, with a financial year-end audit approaching and a requirement to provide a best-estimate leave liability for Finance. At the same time, the existing system held data gaps that complicated everything. Missing hours, inconsistent employee records, and work patterns that were not available for all staff.

Moving payroll systems is rarely just a technical exercise. For Ritchies Transport, it was a compliance challenge first.

The Complication

MYOB Exo had served its purpose, but it was not built for the weeks-based annual leave treatment that Datapay requires under the NZ Holidays Act.

Converting annual leave balances from a days- or dollar-based approach to a weeks-based format required more than a formula. It required a clear definition of what a week meant for each employee, and that definition looked different depending on their work pattern.

Variable Roster Employees

Actual days and weeks worked had to be analysed to establish the definition of a working week for each employee on a variable roster.

Standard Salaried Staff

For employees on a five-day week, a different approach applied, simpler in structure but still requiring validation against the data held in MYOB.

Percentage or Dollar-Based Accrual Cohort

A specific cohort required its own conversion logic entirely, separate from the approaches applied to other employee groups.

Compounding this, MYOB did not reliably hold the full hours data that Datapay’s weeks-based calculations depend on. Hours had to be estimated and derived, with every assumption documented to support the leave liability assessment Finance needed for the audit.

What Alxemy Did

Alxemy embedded alongside the Ritchies Transport project team to manage the Datapay payroll migration from extraction to go-live.

Data Migration

Actual days and weeks worked had to be analysed to establish the definition of a working week for each employee on a variable roster.

Annual Leave Conversion and Leave Liability Support

For employees on a five-day week, a different approach applied, simpler in structure but still requiring validation against the data held in MYOB.

Automation and Quality Assurance

To manage the volume and complexity of the data, macros were developed to generate 52-week earnings outputs per employee. These covered average weekly earnings, ordinary weekly pay, definition of week, and accrued, outstanding, and advance leave balances. QA checks were run throughout to surface and resolve data issues carried over from MYOB.

Testing, Parallel Runs, and Go-Live Readiness

A structured testing programme was built using a Jira board with NZ-standard payroll test cases. Alxemy supported testing execution, captured and triaged issues with the vendor, and ran parallel payroll checks to validate outputs before go-live. Sign-off reporting was prepared to give the project team and leadership confidence at each stage.

The Outcome

Ritchies Transport completed the Datapay payroll migration with the data quality, compliance logic, and delivery structure needed to go live with confidence.

For the Finance Team

The finance team had the leave liability outputs they needed ahead of the year-end audit, documented, defensible, and delivered on time.

For the Payroll Team

The payroll team had a tested, validated system and the knowledge to run it. The complexity of the Holidays Act, often the hardest part of any NZ payroll migration, was worked through methodically, with every assumption documented and every cohort accounted for.

When the pressure was highest, the structure held.

Westland Milk Products is one of New Zealand’s well-established dairy manufacturers, operating in a high-volume, around-the-clock production environment. Like many large processing businesses, their workforce includes multiple employee groups, varied shift patterns, and several awards and agreements. This naturally creates a payroll ecosystem with many moving parts, each requiring careful interpretation, accuracy, and ongoing management.

The Challenge

Over time, Westland’s payroll environment had grown increasingly difficult to navigate. The combination of multiple awards, complex rules, and historical collective agreement interpretations made the system hard to maintain and even harder to improve.

Key challenges included:

• A web of interdependent awards and pay rules
• Inconsistencies in how rules had been interpreted or applied
• Difficulty making system changes without unintended downstream effects
• A growing reliance on manual checks to ensure accuracy
• Limited visibility into the “why” behind certain calculations

This wasn’t the result of poor practice – simply the natural outcome of a longstanding, multifaceted workforce environment with complex employment agreements. However, it was limiting the team’s ability to operate with clarity and confidence, particularly as the organisation looked toward future optimisation.

The solution

Westland engaged Alxemy to help untangle this complexity and build a clearer, more sustainable payroll foundation. They needed a partner who could bring both expertise and empathy – someone capable of making sense of the technical detail while supporting the team through change.

Alxemy’s Approach

Alxemy’s work combined structured analysis with a deeply collaborative mindset.

1. Discovery & Context Setting

We began with a series of workshops to understand the current-state environment—capturing not just what the rules were, but how they were being interpreted, why they had evolved that way, and where the payroll team experienced friction.

2. Award & Rule Mapping

Terrence led a detailed review of the award structure, mapping each component, identifying overlaps, and clarifying the intent behind different provisions. The focus was on simplification without losing compliance or operational nuance.

3. Clarifying the “Why”

Instead of simply rewriting rules, Alxemy worked with the team to explain the underlying drivers. This transparency helped remove ambiguity, created shared understanding, and empowered Westland’s payroll specialists to own their environment with greater confidence.

4. Partnership & Trust

Throughout the engagement, Terrence’s patience, clarity, and consistency built a strong foundation of trust – one that the Westland team highlighted as a key part of the project’s success.

As Sharon O’Regan, Group Payroll Manager of Westland Milk Products, noted:

The Impact

By simplifying the structure and establishing a clearer rule framework, Westland gained:

• A payroll environment that is easier to understand and maintain

• Greater clarity for both leaders and payroll specialists

• A reduction in day-to-day complexity and manual checking

• A more efficient onboarding process for new team members

• A foundation that supports change control and scalability

• Confidence to progress future optimisation or automation work

While not built around numerical outcomes, the results were significant: clarity, sustainability, and operational ease across a previously complex ecosystem.

Strategic Value

The project delivered more than just simplification – it strengthened Westland’s ability to operate with compliance confidence and set the stage for long-term payroll maturity. The collaborative relationship between Westland Milk Products and Alxemy continues, built on trust, shared understanding, and a commitment to ongoing improvement.

FAQs

1. Why was Westland’s payroll environment so complex?

Multiple awards, varied shift patterns, and historical rule interpretations created a layered system that was difficult to maintain and improve.

2. What did Alxemy do to simplify it?

We mapped and clarified award structures, simplified rules, and worked closely with the payroll team to build a clear, sustainable framework for future optimisation.

3. What benefits did Westland gain?

A more transparent and manageable payroll environment, reduced ambiguity, less manual checking, and a stronger foundation for future system changes or automation.

Thinking About Your Own Payroll Environment?

If your organisation is dealing with similar complexity, multiple awards, evolving agreements, and a system that’s hard to change, Alxemy’s consulting services can help you build the same kind of clarity and confidence.

Ready to talk? Contact the Alxemy team to explore what’s possible for your payroll environment.

How can an organisation simplify payroll while staying compliant with New Zealand’s unique and potentially evolving regulatory environment?

Sanitarium answered this challenge by partnering with Alxemy to streamline processes and modernise workforce management. The result was a unified system that improved efficiency, scalability, and the employee experience.

The Problem

Sanitarium’s payroll and workforce management processes were spread across multiple legacy systems, creating risk and inefficiency. Key challenges included:

• Compliance risk – Managing complex New Zealand payroll compliance under the Holidays Act was manual and error-prone.
• Operational inefficiency – Payroll and rostering operated in silos, requiring time-consuming reconciliations.
• Employee experience – Limited self-service payroll functionality reduced staff engagement.
• Scalability concerns – The old systems lacked flexibility to support growth and evolving needs.

Sanitarium needed a smarter, unified payroll system that could handle NZ compliance without the manual headaches. Alxemy worked closely with the Australian partner but tailored every step to meet NZ’s unique rules.

The solution

Sanitarium had already partnered with an Australian Dayforce provider. Recognising the complexity of New Zealand payroll compliance, the partner recommended bringing Alxemy on board as a local specialist.

Alxemy focused on tailoring the Dayforce implementation to meet NZ’s unique requirements:

Payroll implementation

Configured Dayforce to support diverse employment types and ensure full alignment with the Holidays Act.

Time & Attendance

Integrated rostering and shift management directly into payroll, removing manual reconciliations.

Contract interpretation

Automated pay rules and entitlements across collective agreements and a newly acquired entity.

Alxemy’s phased approach included discovery workshops, detailed configuration, rigorous UAT, and multiple parallel payroll runs to validate accuracy.

Implementation Highlights

Successful implementation required more than just technology. It relied on collaboration, testing, and local expertise to ensure the system worked seamlessly for New Zealand’s unique requirements. Here’s what made the difference in bringing the solution to life:

• Cross-border collaboration – Alxemy worked seamlessly with the Australian partner.
• Close engagement – Joint workshops built confidence across HR, payroll, and operations.
• Rigorous testing – Extensive UAT and parallel runs ensured accuracy.
• Local expertise – In-depth knowledge of NZ legislation underpinned compliance.
• Change management – Tailored training helped employees transition smoothly.

The Results

The impact was immediate across compliance, efficiency, and staff experience:

• Compliance confidence – Automated calculations aligned with NZ payroll rules.
• Efficiency gains – Streamlined processes reduced manual intervention and payroll errors.
• Improved employee experience – Staff gained mobile self-service access to payslips, rostering, and leave.
• Unified platform – HR, payroll, and workforce data consolidated into one system.
• Future-ready – A scalable platform for analytics and workforce optimisation.

Client Feedback

Strong outcomes matter, but the real measure of success is how the client feels about the journey. Here’s how Sanitarium described the partnership:

“Partnering with Alxemy on our Dayforce implementation has been transformative for Sanitarium. Their deep understanding of New Zealand payroll and compliance meant we could trust the solution was configured correctly from the start. The team provided outstanding support, from testing through to go-live, and ensured our staff were confident with the system. We now have a single source of truth for HR, payroll and workforce management, improved efficiency, and with a much better experience for our people. We find the Alxemy team very easy to deal with and solution-focused, and we are going to continue working with them post-implementation to optimise the Dayforce solution for our business.”

— Peter Hartnett, Head of People & Culture

Why It Matters for NZ Businesses

Sanitarium’s success is more than just a single project – it highlights the challenges many New Zealand organisations face when balancing compliance, efficiency, and employee experience. For any organisation navigating workforce management in NZ, compliance with the Holidays Act (along with its potential successor) is non-negotiable. Sanitarium’s journey shows what’s possible when payroll and rostering integration is done right.

If your business is struggling with payroll complexity, this case study highlights how a tailored Dayforce NZ implementation can reduce compliance risk, improve efficiency, and empower your employees.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why did Sanitarium choose Alxemy for NZ payroll compliance?
   – Because of Alxemy’s local expertise with NZ legislation and Holidays Act requirements.

2. How does Dayforce improve compliance with NZ employment legislation?
  – Dayforce automates complex pay rules and calculations, reducing manual work and ensuring payroll accuracy in line with NZ employment legislation.

3. Can Alxemy support both NZ and Australian payroll projects?
  – Yes. Alxemy collaborates with partners across regions while ensuring NZ-specific compliance.
 

Ready to simplify payroll and compliance?

Talk to the Alxemy team about how we can help your organisation achieve the same clarity and confidence. Get started with Alxemy.

Once the implementation got underway, complexities of the project came to lightas the scope expanded, and feedback from the payroll team indicated unanticipated challenges mixing their new HR solution with their current payroll provider, PayGlobal during transition. Furthermore, the new payroll solution accompanying ELMO HR, brought with it some challenges of its own.

To minimise the risks they brought Alxemy onboard to support the implementation project and bolster Sky TV’s internal resources, affording them the ability to manage both BAU as well as the implementation project.

A solution that ticks all the boxes

Sky New Zealand has a head count of over 600 people. As a national broadcaster, providing media services countrywide, and employing a range of full time & part time staff and contractors, having a centralised, efficient, and compliant HR and payroll platform in place was a must.

With a robust solution they would be able to attract talent, manage workflows more efficiently and meet the needs of their people, all the while simplifying HR & payroll processes across the board.
Knowing this, Sky New Zealand went out to market to find a solution that met all their requirements. After an in-depth selection process, they chose ELMO as a full end to end solution in HR.

Seeking a trusted hand

As can be the case, with enterprise level system implementation projects, there can be unexpected complexities along the way. These complexities can become amplified and extensive when you add the integration of multiple systems to the scope.

With a small internal team managing the project, Sky New Zealand recognised early on that they were not going to be able to do this themselves. And so it was that they sought external expertise to smoothen the journey and ensure compliance, alongside a streamlining of processes.

Alxemy steps in as Sky’s payroll partner

Because of their strong reputation, Sky’s Head of People Operations Property & Safety, Alex Howieson, reached out to the team at Alxemy for payroll support.

Working in tandem with Sky’s Payroll Manager Anu Balasooriya, Alxemy and Sky worked closely with the team, actioning agreement requirements and adjustments in accordance with Sky’s business processes.

Over several months the Alxemy team implemented and executed systematic manual workarounds to address any calculations and processes for which the system did not cater, and worked internally to assist the payroll team with payroll two-days a fortnight.

As part of the project, Alxemy also assisted with delivering:

• a greement requirements
• reporting for the finance team
• streamlining of all payroll processes
• automation of processes where possible

Alxemy didn’t just sign off on project completion, today they continue to provide payroll support when required.

Future-proofing payroll for Sky

Trust and exceptional service resonated across the project. Sky’s Head of People Operations Peroprty & Safety, Alex Howison was highly impressed with Alxemy’s professionalism – their service culture an essential key to project success.

“Alxemy went above and beyond the call of duty and superseded our expectations,” says Alex. “Their profound expertise, exceptional organisational qualities continue to serve us beyond implementation. I can’t identify any areas for them to improve upon.”

And the trust and understanding between Sky and Alxemy has expanded beyond individuals to a companywide relationship.

Conclusion

Sky New Zealand now benefits from a robust, streamlined, and compliant HR and payroll system, with Alxemy continuing to provide invaluable support. This partnership not only resolved immediate challenges but also equipped Sky with the tools and systems needed for long-term success.

Winning the 2Degrees Business Award (South and East Auckland)

The New Year often invites us to look forward, but it also provides a moment to reflect on past milestones. For Alxemy, one of the highlights of 2024 was being recognised as the Best Emerging Business at the 2Degrees Business Awards (South and East Auckland), held on 4th December at the Cordis Hotel.

An Unforgettable Night

None of us had attended an awards ceremony before, so we didn’t quite know what to expect. As the first category of the evening, Best Emerging Business, was announced, our team sat nervously, uncertain of what was ahead. Then, when Alxemy was declared the winner, it felt like a scene from the Academy Awards! Cameras swarmed our table as we sat in astonishment, and it took us a moment to collect ourselves and head to the stage.

The journey to that moment wasn’t easy. Hilde Marais, our HR Manager, was the driving force behind our decision to enter. It took significant effort to gather and submit our entry, and being named a finalist was a surprise in itself. The Gala Dinner was a bright moment in what had been a challenging year, and the night highlighted the resilience and tenacity of businesses in our region.

Celebrating Resilience

With over 41 finalists across various categories, the event was a celebration of perseverance in business. As the organisers noted, “The winners and finalists were not just exceptional in their respective industries, but they were also shining examples of what it takes to succeed in the highly competitive business landscape.”

Looking Ahead

With this incredible win behind us, the team at Alxemy is now preparing for the Auckland-wide Best of the Best Business Awards on April 11, 2025, where the top businesses from all regional categories will compete.

Stephan Blumenberg, Founding  Director of Alxemy, reflected on the journey: “Winning the 2Degrees Best Emerging Business Award is a testament to the hard work, creativity, and dedication of our team. It’s a proud moment for Alxemy and motivates us to aim even higher in 2025 as we continue to support our clients and grow our impact.”

Stay tuned—2025 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Alxemy!