GOVERNMENT NEWS ARCHIVE APPOINTMENTS 2009

2009 Appointments

31 March
ACC Minister Nick Smith has announced a reconfigured ACC board with the appointment of four new board members in addition to the new chair, John Judge.

The reconfigured Board of ACC is John Judge (chair); Peter Neilson (deputy chair); Marie Bismark (reappointed); Philippa Dunphy (reappointed); and new members Rob Campbell; Murray Hilder; Jane Huria and John McCliskie.

19 March
Career diplomat Bede Corry will be New Zealand’s next ambassador to Thailand, Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced.

Mr Corry will also be accredited to as New Zealand’s ambassador to Cambodia, Laos, and Burma.

He takes up his posting in August, replacing Brook Barrington, who is returning to Wellington.

March 19
New Zealand’s next ambassador to Russia will be career diplomat Ian Hill, Foreign Minister Murray McCully has announced.

Mr Hill will also be accredited to Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Mr Hill will take up his post in early August, replacing Chris Elder who is returning to Wellington.

19 March
Silver Fern Farms’ chief executive, Keith Cooper has been appointed to the boards of Meat & Wool New Zealand and the New Zealand Meat Board.

Keith Cooper was nominated by the Meat Industry Association to be one of two industry representatives on the boards. He replaces Alliance Group chair, Owen Poole, who resigned at the end of last year.

16 March
Commerce Minister Simon Power has announced the appointment of Dr Mark Berry as chair to the Commerce Commission.

Dr Berry, a specialist in competition law and economic regulation, has previously been a deputy chair of the Commission between 1999 and 2001.

Dr Berry will take over as Chair on 1 April, with Paula Rebstock’s term expiring on 31 March.

10 March
The Health Minister, Tony Ryall has announced the appointment of Paul Menzies as the new chair of Southland District Health Board.

9 March
ACC Minister Nick Smith has announced the appointment of former Ernst & Young Chief Executive John Judge as the new chair of the board of ACC replacing Ross Wilson.

2 March
Andrew Little has been named as the new president of the NZ Labour Party. Mr Little was elected unopposed in a NZ Council by-election following the resignation of outgoing president Mike Williams.

Mr Little has been national secretary of the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union, New Zealand’s largest private sector trade union, since August 2000.

3 February
Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson has announced the appointment of Rob Osborne as a temporary Associate Judge of the High Court, for a period of 12 months from 29 January 2009.

The new Associate Judge will sit in Christchurch.

28 January
Paul Gestro has been appointed as New Zealand Trade and Enterprise's director East Americas and consul general New York.

Based in New York, Mr Gestro will be responsible for NZTE's operations and personnel in East America including offices in New York and Washington D.C., while also managing consular services in the region.

For the past four years Mr Gestro has been based in Singapore as NZTE's regional manager for Investment New Zealand and ICT in South and South East Asia.

Claire Eeles has been appointed as director West Americas and Consul General Canada. Ms Eeles joins NZTE from Restoration Hardware, a NZ$1B San Francisco-based,
furnishings retailer where she was senior vice-president/general manager. For the past three years Claire has also been an advisor on NZTE's North American Beachheads programme.

Pat English has been appointed as the new trade commissioner in Guangzhou, China.

Mr English has more than 12 years experience with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, most recently as China Market Manager.

14 January

Diversified rail and tourism operator KiwiRail Group has appointed Auckland businessman Jim Quinn as its new Group Chief Executive, the company Chairman Jim Bolger confirmed today.

Mr Quinn is currently Chief Executive Officer of Express Couriers Limited, a joint venture between New Zealand Post and DHL. He will take up his appointment from 1 March 2009.