Board of directors

Margaret Devlin, BA Hons Business Studies, Finance and Economics, CFInstD

Chair

Margaret is a professional director with extensive experience in governance and executive management primarily in the water and infrastructure sectors in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. She has served as a director for a range of entities with a particular focus on audit and risk. Margaret is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors.

General disclosure of interests: Director and Chair, Lyttleton Port Company Limited; Director, Waikato Regional Airport; Director, Titanium Park (wholly owned subsidiary of Waikato Regional Airport); Director, Waimea Water Limited; Director, Aurora Energy; Director, IT Partners Group; Deputy Chair, WINTEC; Chair, Advisory Board Women in Infrastructure Network; Chair, Hospice Waikato; Chair, Infrastructure NZ; Chartered Fellow, Institute of Directors; Member, Institute of Directors, Waikato Branch Committee.

Nicola Crauford BSc (Hons), PhD, DistFEngNZ, FAICD, CFInstD

Nicki has extensive governance and senior management experience in energy, water and telecommunications utilities. As a director she brings a combination of technical, commercial and strategic skills. She has a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, a doctorate in applied science from the University of Southampton, and has worked in the oil and gas, energy and banking sectors. As well as utilities her governance portfolio has spanned science research and development, fire and emergency management, and environmental protection and regulation. Nicki chairs the Electricity Authority and GNS Science and is a director of CentrePort, director and shareholder of Riposte Consulting Limited and is a trustee of the Wellington Regional Stadium Trust. She is a Distinguished Fellow of Engineering New Zealand, and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Institute of Directors in New Zealand.
 

General disclosure of interests: Chair, GNS Science Limited; Chair, Electricity Authority; Director and Shareholder, Riposte Consulting Limited; Director, CentrePort Limited Group; Trustee, Wellington Regional Stadium Trust.

Brendon Green, BE Chem and Process (Hons), Post Grad Diploma in Dairy Science and Technology

Brendon's career spans 25 years in New Zealand and offshore, largely in the energy sector covering thermal generation, oil and gas exploration and renewables, notably wind and geothermal. Over recent years he has been involved in the decarbonisation of the transport sector by way of electric and hydrogen technologies. Brendon has worked with and within Māori organisations, which includes establishing partnerships and joint ventures around natural resources inclusive of water, energy, forestry and dairy. His career includes technical and commercial leadership roles with Mercury, Contact Energy, General Electric (in Mexico and the USA) and the NZ Dairy Board. He is the founder of Kaitiaki Advisory Limited and holds a Bachelor of Chemical and Process Engineering and a Postgraduate Diploma in Dairy Science and Technology. Brendon brings over a decade of governance experience inclusive of being a past Chair of Tainui Kawhia Incorporation and Tirohia Landfill Generation Joint Venture.

General disclosure of interests: Director, Kaitiaki Advisory Limited; Director, Tainui Kawhia Incorporation; Director, Hiringa Energy Limited; Director, Hiringa Refueling Investments Limited; Executive Director, Advanced Biotech NZ Limited; Management contract, Tainui Kawhia Minerals; Australia-NZ representative, Wattstock LLC (USA); Representative of Waipapa Marae, Kawhia, Te Whakakitenga o Waikato Tainui; Runanga Manukau Institute of Technology, Te Whakakitenga o Waikato representative; Member, Waikato District Council – Infrastructure Committee; Advisor, Te Taumata Aronui – Ministry of Education; Adjunct Senior Fellow, University of Canterbury – Department of Chemical Engineering; Co-chair, Waikato Regional Skills Leadership Group; Member, Construction and Infrastructure Workforce Development Council.

Hinerangi Raumati-Tu’ua, BMS, MMS, FCA, MNZM, MINSTD

Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee

Hinerangi is of Ngāti Mutunga and Waikato descent, and is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand. She is also a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business and Māori. Hinerangi has significant experience in investment, financial management, and governance. She was CFO of Tainui Group Holdings Limited from 2002 to 2009 and Executive Director Operations at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa from 2010 to 2014.

General disclosure of interests: Chair, Parininihi Ki Waitotara Incorporated; Chair, Te Rere O Kapuni Limited; Chair, Ngā Miro Trust; Chair, Nga Kai Tautoko Limited; Chair, Te Kiwai Maui o Ngaruahine Limited; Trustee, PKW Trust; Director, Taranaki Iwi Holdings Management Limited; Chair, Aotearoa Fisheries Limited; Director, Sealord Group Limited; Director, Port Nicholson Fisheries GP Limited; Director, Te Puia Tapapa GP Limited; Chair, Tainui Group Holdings Limited; Executive Member, Te Whakakitenga O Waikato

Frances Valintine CNZM

Frances is dedicated to pushing Aotearoa ahead as a global leader in innovation to build a stronger, more resilient future for all New Zealanders. Over the past 8 years across Tech Futures Lab and The Mind Lab, Frances has been instrumental in reskilling and educating 20,000 adult students in formal programmes, many thousands in short tech courses in software development, and over 250,000 school aged students.
 
With an eye always on future horizons, Frances has worked with and advised over 250 organisations across every sector in New Zealand - from agriculture to finance, retail to law - and has gained a reputation as an expert in leading digital transformation initiatives that bring positive impact.
 
A Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her lifetime contribution to education and technology (2018), Frances has received numerous awards recognising her passion and commitment to supporting the young and more mature to seek opportunities and reach their potential. In 2020, Frances received the Outstanding Contribution to Technology and Business at the CIO Awards. Her past accolades include:
2017:  the NZ Flying Kiwi Award, inducted into the New Zealand Hi-Tech Hall of Fame and named one of the top 3 NZ Innovators of the Year at the NZer of the Year awards.
2016: named one of the top 50 EdTech Educators in the World by EdTech International; awarded a Sir Peter Blake Leader Award.
2015: awarded the Westpac New Zealand Woman of Influence (Innovation) and the Next New Zealand Woman of the Year (Education)
 
She holds a Master of Education Management from the University of Melbourne.

General disclosure of interests: Director and CEO, The Mind Lab Limited; Director and CEO, Tech Futures Lab Limited; Director, Harcourt Jasper Limited; Director, Pointed Tangram Limited; Director, Harper Lilley Limited; Director, On Being Bold Limited; Director, Sandell Trustees Limited; Selection Advisor, Edmund Hillary Fellowship; Board of Trustee, University of Silicon Valley

Dave Chambers

Dave is a highly experienced business leader with a background in large-scale customer-centric organisations. He was Managing Director of Progressive Enterprises NZ and Director of Woolworths Supermarkets in Australia, and has held various operations leadership roles. Previously he was a board member of the New Zealand Business and Parliament Trust.

General disclosure of interests: Director, Paper Plus New Zealand Limited; Director, Living Clean NZ Limited; Director, Turners and Growers Fresh Limited.

Graham Darlow BE, FICE, Dist FEngNZ

Graham is an independent director and advisor to the construction industry. He has extensive experience in the planning, consenting, design and construction of major infrastructure projects. His project governance experience includes the Waterview Tunnel, Te Papa Tongarewa, Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade, Hobson Tunnel, Downtown Infrastructure Programme and many of New Zealand’s water, wastewater, transport, energy and marine projects. Previously Graham was Chief Executive of Fletcher Construction, President of Engineering New Zealand, and Safeguard Safety Leader of the Year in 2016. He is a Distinguished Fellow of Engineering New Zealand, Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and a Member of the Institute of Directors.

General disclosure of interests: Business Executive, Acciona Infrastructure NZ Limited; Director and Shareholder, Brockway Consulting Limited Chair, Frequency NZ Limited; Director, Hick Bros. Civil Construction Limited; Director, Hick Bros. Infrastructure Limited; Chair, Holmes GP Structure Limited; Director, Tainui Auckland Airport Hotel GP (No.2) Limited; Director, Hick Bros. Heavy Haulage Limited; Director, Hick Bros. Holdings Limited; Chair, The Piritahi Alliance Board.

Julian Smith LLB, BCom, Adv ASB, CMInstD

Julian is an independent director with 13 years' governance experience. He retired from his executive career in late 2019 when he was chief customer officer for Meridian Energy and responsible for $1.2b revenue and a team of 400. His career saw him hold several senior executive roles in the internet/digital, financial services, telecommunications sectors as well as central government.

Julian is a strategy, transformation and customer experience expert with extensive marketing and corporate affairs credentials and has worked in a range of international markets across Asia, Australasia, the Middle East and the United Kingdom. He holds an LLB and BCom from the University of Auckland and an associate diploma in public speaking form Speech NZ.

General disclosure of interests: Chartered member of the Institute of Directors; Board member, The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra; Board member, Look Good Feel Better Trust; Advisory board member, Vadacom Limited.

​Wi Pere Mita LLB, BA, Resolution Institute NZ, Professional Legal Studies, Barrister &  Solicitor of High Court of NZ and Institute of Directors

Board intern

Wi Pere is a practising lawyer, mediator and consultant working across the public, not-for-profit and private sectors. He has extensive experience in executive management including strategic planning, asset optimisation, economic development and revenue generation.
 
Wi Pere’s experience includes strategic planning in central and local government, iwi entities, private clients, and audit and risk. He has also represented clients as lead counsel at the Waitangi Tribunal and at Māori Land Court, as well as in the District Court, High Court, Family Court and Employment Relations Authority. He holds several directorships, including Trust Tairāwhiti Trustee Limited, Prime SPV Limited, Te Runanganui o Ngāti Poru Trustee Limited, and Resolution Institute NZ & Australia. He is also chair of the Copyright Tribunal.
 
He is Tairāwhiti, fluent in te reo Māori and tikanga Māori, and an active marae member.
 
General disclosure of interests: Chairperson, Copyright Tribunal; Member, Wayfinding civil access to justice – Advisory Group; Member, Community Law Centres o Aotearoa Incorporated; Māori Advisory Board member, New Zealand Police, Counties Manukau East; Director and Shareholder Laidlaw Law and Consultancy; Trustee, SkyCity Entertainment Group (SkyCity Auckland Community Trust); Director, Resolution Institute NZ & Australia; Director, Te Runanganui o Ngāti Porou - Toitu Ngāti Porou Trustee Limited; Director, Trust Tairāwhiti Trustee Limited; Director, Prime SPV Limited.