Ngā Mema o te Tira Kaiwhakahaere Executive team members

It is a real privilege to be the council’s chief executive and to lead what is a wonderful organisation – one that is deeply motivated to:

• serve the changing and diverse needs of Aucklanders
• deal with climate, growth and infrastructure challenges
• protect our precious environment.

My personal commitments in this role are to:

• work effectively with elected members at local and regional levels to achieve their aspirations and policy priorities
• serve the community at all times and through every interaction
• practice prudent stewardship of finances
• foster a safe, rewarding and purposeful experience of work
• uphold Te Tiriti
• continuously improve the organisation – making life better for staff and customers
• better respond to diversity, building equity and social cohesion
• partner effectively with government, private sector and community organisations
• build climate resilience.

My career has mostly been in local government – with senior leadership roles in human resources, strategy, communications and governance.

My previous roles include:

• Human resources general manager
• Chief advisor to Manukau City Council
• Chief of staff to the Mayor of Auckland
• Director of governance and CCO partnerships.

I am also a past board member and president of Taituarā – the national professional body for local government leaders.

I am excited to lead a directorate that will play a key role in the transformation required to become the council Auckland needs us to be.

The directorate supports the chief executive to:

• set the organisation’s strategic priorities
• transform the way we work
• partner effectively with stakeholders
• track performance outcomes.

It also includes key functions that support the organisation.

The group strategy and chief executive’s office is made up of:

• Group Strategy, Transformation and Partnerships
• Sustainability
• Legal
• Risk and Assurance
• People, Safety and Wellbeing
• Communications and Marketing.

I was previously a lawyer and a partner at Meredith Connell, one of the top law firms in New Zealand.

Prior to my current role I was chief of staff to the Mayor of Auckland, a senior leadership role managing one of the most important political offices in the country. There, I oversaw an ambitious programme and contributed to significant progress on the mayor and the council's objectives for Auckland.

I am thrilled to be leading a directorate that places our natural environment, diverse communities and the services we provide to Aucklanders at the heart of everything we do.

As director community, I am committed to delivering positive environmental and community outcomes for Aucklanders in all corners of our region. This will ensure that Tāmaki Makaurau continues to be a great place to live, work and play.

Teams delivering on this mahi include:

• Community Wellbeing
• Pools and Leisure
• Parks and Community Facilities
• Environmental Services
• Licensing and Compliance.

I have worked in a number of specialist and leadership roles in both central and local government organisations, including the Department of Conservation and Waikato Regional Council.

I have also held trustee, governance and advisory roles at regional and national levels. I am one of the duty controllers for Auckland Emergency Management.

As director of resilience and infrastructure, I am responsible for ensuring Tāmaki Makaurau is a resilient region that is ready to respond to our changing climate.

Our work includes:

• partnering with communities to build resilience
• assessing current risks and vulnerabilities
• future-proofing our infrastructure.

Teams delivering this work include:

• Auckland Emergency Management
• Recovery (responding to the January/February 2023 storm events)
• Healthy Waters and Flood Resilience
• Engineering, Assets and Technical Advisory
• Building Consents
• Waste Solutions
• City Centre Programmes.

I have worked for Auckland Council since 2015. Before that, I held senior executive and leadership roles in both the public and private sector in New Zealand and overseas.

My background is in civil engineering on major infrastructure projects. I am currently the Sponsors’ representative for the City Rail Link.

As deputy director resilience and infrastructure, it is my role to work alongside the director resilience and infrastructure to ensure Auckland Council is delivering on its commitment to build resilience in our region and respond to the impacts of climate change.

I bring more than 20 years of experience in local government in Auckland to this position, including my most recent role as general manager waste solutions at Auckland Council. I led the waste response following the severe weather events that devastated the Auckland region early in 2023.

I am also the chairperson of the Waste Management Institute of New Zealand and one of the duty controllers for Auckland Emergency Management.

As group chief financial officer, my role is to set the organisation’s financial strategies and plans and ensure we are in a strong position to deliver on the council’s long-term plan objectives and strategic priorities. This includes continuing to carefully manage the council’s finances against a backdrop of rapid growth and a tough economic environment, while allowing investment in key areas such as transport and infrastructure.

The teams supporting this work are:

• Treasury (including Rates and Valuations)
• Financial Strategy
• Financial Advisory.

On a personal note, I have previously held a number of other roles at Auckland Council and the former Auckland City Council. Before that, I worked in the private sector.

My experience includes:

• treasury management
• infrastructure funding
• financial and capital asset management.

I am also a member of CPA Australia.

It is a privilege to take on the role of Tumuaki huanga Māori / Director Māori outcomes and lead Ngā Mātārae (Māori Outcomes) for Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau. Ngā Mātārae works across the organisation to deliver on our mission of leading the council towards a region where Māori thrive.

Our mahi supports the Auckland Council Group to deliver on outcomes for Māori by:

• setting strategic direction
• enhancing organisational capability, systems, processes and performance
• managing strategic relationships and Māori participation in decision-making
• supporting effective Māori participation in all levels of decision-making at council.

Kia Ora Tāmaki Makaurau, our Māori Outcomes Performance Management Framework, guides this work across the council group.

I have worked in Tāmaki Makaurau for the past 15 years. My background is in open space management and my experience includes holding senior level positions at the Department of Conservation.

For the last seven years I have led Auckland Council’s approach to co-governance including leading mahi for:

• The Tūpuna Maunga Authority
• Te Poari o Kaipatiki
• Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei Reserves Board.

I hail from the lower North Island with whakapapa connections to Te Ati Awa, Ngāti Raukawa, Whanganui and Te Whanau a Apanui on the East Coast.

I sit on a number of iwi trusts and have been involved in treaty negotiations for my own iwi as well as Waitangi Tribunal hearings.

I have the privilege of leading a directorate responsible for providing public policy advice and democratic support to elected members to allow them to make decisions that affect Auckland now and into the future.

The directorate also includes teams involved in land use – everything from policy and planning to resource consenting and infrastructure funding agreements. This recognises the important role we have in delivering on Auckland’s strategic objectives and Unitary Plan aspirations.

Functions within the directorate include:

• Public Policy
• Planning and Resource Consents
• Governance and Engagement
• Chief economist.

I was born and raised in Auckland and love this region and everything it offers. I trained as a planner and have worked for more than 25 years in local government in Auckland. I am passionate about partnering with others to make a difference to current and future Aucklanders.