Australia-based Talent International announced it has acquired New Zealand-based recruitment agency People&Co, effective immediately.

Financial details were not disclosed.

This acquisition reinforces Talent’s commitment to the New Zealand market and supports the expansion of Talent’s core recruitment business, as well as establishing a platform for it to build out its project delivery, automation, and data consultancy business, Avec.

People&Co, based in Wellington, is a Māori-owned (indigenous people of New Zealand) organisation and a member of the All-of-Government (AoG) External Recruitment and Consultancy panels.

Mark Nielsen, Global CEO, Talent, said, “When the opportunity to acquire People&Co arose, we believed it would be a great fit for Talent. In addition to significant growth potential, we recognised a strong affinity in terms of culture and vision between the two organisations, and our shared commitment to the New Zealand market.”

Sam Collins, managing director, People&Co, will be joining the Talent Group as part of the acquisition and will be responsible for scaling Avec’s business in New Zealand.

“It’s a new era for the People&Co brand and for me personally,” Collins said. “We are excited about the opportunities Talent and Avec will deliver for our sales team and our customers, candidates, and contractors. Our culture that we have built is aligned with Talent’s which was a non-negotiable, and we resonated with the growth mindset of the leaders and their teams.”

Kara Smith, country manager, Talent New Zealand, said, “We are incredibly excited about the acquisition of People&Co. Talent’s commitment to further expanding and investing in Aotearoa is an exciting time for all our team members, clients, candidates, and contractors, and this growth begins a new chapter for us.”