Our purpose is to help organisations make smarter people decisions—and to empower individuals to realise their potential—using science, technology, and insight to create success for all.
People Central is New Zealand’s trusted psychometrics leader where science, AI, and insight unleash human potential
At People Central, we believe better people decisions build better organisations. Our values guide everything we do — from how we interpret data to how we partner with clients and support candidates. These four values shape how we think, how we work, and the impact we aim to have every day:
We do what’s right, speak the truth, and treat every person with fairness, care, and respect.
We combine scientific rigour, validated tools, and sound judgement to deliver clear, trusted advice.
We embrace technology and AI to improve clarity, efficiency, and value—while keeping people at the centre.
We work alongside our clients as long-term partners, focused on meaningful outcomes and shared success.
People Central was founded in July 1999 by psychometric specialist Steve Evans in Christchurch, New Zealand. Under Steve’s leadership, the company grew significantly to become a major player in the New Zealand psychometric assessment space—earning a strong reputation for delivering scientifically robust, human-centred insights that helped organisations hire and develop talent more effectively.
On 1 October 2024, Ron and Penny McLuckie acquired the business from Steve Evans. Ron is a highly qualified and internationally experienced psychometrics specialist, organisation & leadership development consultant. Penny brings a wealth of psychometric testing and logistics experience. Penny and Ron also lead Psytech New Zealand, the local representatives of Psytech International, a global leader in work-place psychometric assessment & innovation.
Since acquiring People Central, Ron has led a bold evolution of the company’s services, integrating AI-powered tools and data-driven frameworks while maintaining the integrity, clarity, and personal focus that have defined the business from the start. This new chapter combines deep psychometric expertise with cutting-edge technology to deliver smarter people decisions at scale.
Today, People Central partners with a diverse range of clients—from government agencies and corporates to not-for-profits—providing trusted insight into talent, leadership potential, and role fit. Our focus remains clear: to help organisations succeed by unlocking human potential, through science, innovation, and partnership.
The People Central team is led by Managing Partner Ron McLuckie, supported by Logistics Partner Penny McLuckie, and Professional Advisory Partner Laurence Paltiel, Founder and Managing Director of Psytech International. Together with a trusted network of associate consultants, we bring deep expertise across recruitment, leadership, career development, and team dynamics. Our people are seasoned professionals in the science of testing and assessment—united by a shared commitment to helping organisations make smarter people decisions and unlock individual potential.
Laurence Paltiel – People Central Professional Advisre
Founder & Managing Director – Psytech International
Chartered Psychologist | Associate Fellow, British Psychological Society
Laurence Paltiel is a Belgian Chartered Psychologist with over 30 years of global experience in psychometric assessment and occupational psychology. Educated in South Africa, Belgium, and the UK, he brings an international outlook to workplace assessment design.
He founded Psytech International to pioneer computer-based assessment tools, building it into a global provider. His earlier consultancy was sold to ManPower in the 1980s.
Laurence is the lead author behind most Psytech tools and has collaborated with notable psychologists including Hans Eysenck and Paul Barrett.
An Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and certified EFPA assessor, he remains active in professional committees and conferences. He currently leads Psytech’s research and development strategy and oversees global operations.
Ron McLuckie has devoted his career to the human side of business, empowering individuals, teams, and organisations to achieve their fullest potential. He specialises in psychometric assessment across all aspects of talent acquisition, management, and development, and is passionate about leadership development and coaching.
Ron holds both graduate and postgraduate degrees in industrial psychology, human resource management, and business administration, along with numerous certifications in psychometrics, coaching, leadership development, NLP, action learning, and neuroscience. He is particularly interested in the emerging role of AI in psychometrics.
With a wealth of experience, Ron has held senior executive, lecturing, entrepreneurial, and consulting positions across South Africa, the Middle East, India, and New Zealand, where he now resides. He has completed significant consulting assignments in ten countries. As of October 1, 2024, Ron is the Managing Partner of People Central, focusing on business leadership, exceptional client service, and future growth. He also manages Psytech New Zealand, the exclusive distributor of the highly regarded Psytech assessments in the region.
A proud Rotarian and devoted family man, Ron enjoys outdoor adventures, travel, reading, and discovering new experiences.
Penny McLuckie brings a rich background in human sciences and specialised qualifications in psychometrics and behaviour analysis to her role.
After a successful start in radiography, Penny transitioned to human resources consulting, where she focused on learning and development and took charge of training administration. She later became a certified Professional Action Learning Coach, facilitating group problem-solving and leadership development.
Since returning to New Zealand in 2020, Penny has served as the Logistics Partner and shareholder at Psytech New Zealand and People Central. In this role, she coordinates administration, logistics, and client support, ensuring seamless operations.
Penny has garnered valuable international experience working with consultancies in South Africa, the Middle East, India, and New Zealand, enriching her expertise.
Outside of work, Penny is a dedicated family person who enjoys traveling, reading, gardening, and organising various projects.
We at One Foundation are grateful for the quality psychometric assessment services provided by People Central.
Their support and expertise have enhanced our decision-making process.
We can recommend People Central to any organisation seeking reliable and insightful assessment services.
It has been great working with People Central in refining and tailoring a product that suits the needs of our new people leaders.
It provides our supervisors with good insight into their existing strengths and a gateway into their development areas. Together, through the supportive profile debriefing, we make the learning transition comfortable to navigate into.
OceanaGold way – ‘A company people trust, want to work and partner with, to create value.
We have utilised People Central for our psychometric & competency testing needs for just over a year, and the experience has been nothing short of exceptional.
Their comprehensive range of assessments has provided us with invaluable insights into our candidates’ abilities, personalities, and potential fit within our organization.
The team at People Central is incredibly knowledgeable and always ready to assist with any queries or customisation requests. Their process is very simple, making it easy for both our HR team and candidates to navigate the testing process seamlessly.
What sets People Central apart is their commitment to accuracy and reliability. The detailed reports generated from their assessments have significantly enhanced our recruitment and development processes, enabling us to make more informed decisions whilst also keeping costs extremely low in comparison to the current market.
We highly recommend People Central to any organisation seeking a trusted partner for psychometric & competency testing. Their expertise and dedication to quality have made a substantial positive impact on our talent management strategy.
One of our biggest challenges bringing people into our business was understanding what their risk perception was prior to them starting work.
So, we started looking for a cost-effective assessment that would help us understand the levels of risk perception that new staff had as part of our pre-employment process that was simple and easy to use.
People Central offered such an assessment. With a simple setup, we quickly incorporated it into our process. The assessment is online, which means candidates can complete it quickly and easily.
That theme runs through to the results as well—so as soon as they are completed, we get the results along with the reference guide and scoring, which means our team can better identify areas of development for our managers to focus on with new staff.
We have now started to roll this out across other business units in our division after positive feedback from our EHS Managers regarding its effectiveness.
Some People Central Clients
We combine the power of AI with proven psychometrics to help leaders see beyond the surface — uncovering real potential, cultural fit, and long-term value across your people decisions.
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