Simeon Brown
Simeon Brown is the Minister for Energy, Minister of Local Government, Minister of Transport, Minister for Auckland and Deputy Leader of the House. He is the MP for Pakuranga.
Prior to entering politics, Simeon completed Law and Commerce degrees at the University of Auckland and worked in Commercial Finance at the Bank of New Zealand, as well as serving as an elected Local Board member at Auckland Council.
Donna Flavell
Donna is the Chief Executive of Te Whakakitenga o Waikato Inc (Waikato-Tainui). Her impressive background has seen her work on many iwi initiatives in the freshwater space. She managed Waikato’s negotiation of the Waikato River Settlement and, following the settlement, was the General Manager of the Waikato Raupatu River Trust.
Currently, she is also the Chair of the Iwi Advisors Group for Freshwater and a Director of Te Wai Maaori Trust.
Jehan Casinader
Jehan Casinader is a journalist, keynote speaker and mental health advocate.
He was named “Broadcast Reporter of the Year” at the Voyager Media Awards in 2020, and “Reporter of the Year” at the New Zealand Television Awards in 2018.
In the aftermath of natural disasters, terror attacks, sporting triumphs and everything in between, Jehan has helped hundreds of Kiwis to share their vulnerable, deeply personal stories with the rest of the country.
A survivor of depression and suicidality, he is the author of This Is Not How It Ends: How rewriting your story can save your life (HarperCollins).
Jehan is a respected voice in the areas of wellbeing, leadership and diversity, and shares regular insights with his large audience on LinkedIn.
He has a degree in public policy from Victoria University of Wellington.
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 Limited and has held various other leadership roles. Previously he was a board member of Woolworths Supermarkets in Australia; Paper Plus New Zealand Limited; Turners and Growers Fresh Limited; and the New Zealand Business and Parliament Trust.
Dave joined Watercare as a board member in November 2019. In February 2023, the Watercare board appointed Dave as interim chief executive. In April 2024, the Watercare board confirmed that Dave will stay on as chief executive under a fixed-term contract through to June 2025.
Tim Cadogan
Tim Cadogan is in his third term as Mayor of Central Otago, following careers as a Barrister and in broadcasting and copywriting.
Tim sat on the Ministerial Working Group on Representation, Governance and Accountability during the previous water services reform.
Alex Walker
Alex Walker has been Mayor of Central Hawke’s Bay since 2016, when elections delivered a strong mandate for change and a new energy for the future. Project Thrive began and one of the loudest messages delivered was the importance of water to our community. This, combined with a vision for growth and prosperity, environmental responsibilities, as well as strong and durable infrastructure is how #thebigwaterstory began.
Council has developed a programme of upgrades and improvements to ensure that the drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure is able to meet the current and future needs of the community. This transformational focus has seen CHBDC earning the first AA Council Mark Rating for a small rural Council in New Zealand.
Dan Hikuroa
Dan Hikuroa (Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato-Tainui, Ngaati Whanaunga, Pākehā) is a father, surfer and gardener, Associate Professor in Māori Studies, University of Auckland, UNESCO New Zealand Commissioner for Culture and world expert on weaving indigenous knowledge and science to realise the dreams of the communities he works with
John Small
John is the Founding Director of economic consultancy firm, Covec, and was also the former Head of the University of Auckland’s Economics Department. He has extensive experience undertaking complex competition analysis in a wide range of sectors, including energy, transport, agriculture, telecommunications, payment systems, and construction.
John was also previously a lay member of the High Court of New Zealand, frequently called as an expert witness before courts, tribunals and commissions.
Allan Prangnell
Allan was appointed Chief Executive of Taumata Arowai in January 2023, reflecting his wealth of strategic leadership experience in central and local government.
He was formerly Deputy Chief Executive of Te Manatū Waka | Ministry of Transport where he provided leadership and advice on the performance of the transport system.
Prior to Te Manatū Waka, Allan was Executive Director Three Waters at the Department of Internal Affairs where he led and delivered the establishment of Taumata Arowai as a crown entity with a new regulatory regime. Key to this work was engagement with iwi across the motu on understanding and giving effect to iwi/hapū/Māori interests in water services and regulation.
Earlier in his career, Allan worked for a decade at Wellington City Council, including roles as Manager, Council Controlled Organisations and Executive Strategist to the Mayor, councillors and leadership team. Allan has significant experience in regulation, organisational design, transformation, governance and leadership, and managing stakeholder relationships within complex organisations.
He has an LLB/BA from Victoria University.
Anna Jackson
As CEO of Unitywater, Anna Jackson is focused on delivering the sustainable water services that enable more than 800,000 residents across the Noosa, Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay areas to be part of a healthy and thriving community. The region also plays host to more than 11 million tourist visitors every year.
The Unitywater team operate and maintain around $3.8 billion of water, wastewater and recycled water assets to reliably provide the essential services valued by customers of today, while delivering a $1.8 billion of capital program over the next five years to support the region’s rapidly growing population.
Anna leads a team of 850 people, as they come together to be defined as an organisation which adds economic, social and environmental value through its actions with customers, communities and partners.
Anna has been working in the water industry since 2017 and was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Unitywater in 2022. She is active in the Australian water sector’s leadership through the Water Services Association of Australia and the Australian Water Partnership Advisory Committee.
Anna’s professional background is diverse and includes roles in Australia and internationally for Coffey Tetra Tech International Development, and for aerospace and technology company Raytheon.
Bill Bayfield
Bill Bayfield was until February 2023 the Establishment and first go live Chief Executive of Taumata Arowai. He has considerable experience in both central and local government and has an in-depth knowledge of drinking, waste and storm waters and environmental regulation.
He recently served over a decade as Chief Executive of Environment Canterbury and previously as Chief Executive of Bay of Plenty Regional Council. He was also Group General Manager at the Ministry for the Environment, with responsibilities for climate change and waste policies and previously held senior management roles in the Taranaki Regional Council.
Bill has recently managed retirement poorly and now finds himself as a Director of Wellington Water Limited , Citycare limited and Apex Water Limited and is throughly enjoying the challenges they are providing.
Vinojini Nair
Vino is a seasoned Management and Strategic Consultant with over 15 years of experience spanning Bain, KPMG Australia, and now with GHD Digital. Specialising in driving organisational success across diverse sectors including healthcare, AI/ML, ESG, and Circular Economy, Vino excels in strategy, operations, and insights management. A finalist for national-level Digital Transformation Leader of the Year 2023, Vino is adept at leading cross-functional teams and navigating complex challenges, offering expertise in AI, machine learning, process automation, and strategic planning.
Antoine Coffin
Antoine Coffin (Raukawa, Ngāti Apakura, Ngai Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāpuhi) is a specialist in resource management, cultural heritage planning, community engagement and facilitation. Antoine is an RMA Commissioner, Freshwater Commissioner, and most recently manager of spatial planning, Bay of Plenty Regional Council. A former member of the Māori Council of Heritage New Zealand and co-chair of the Indigenous section of the International Association for Impact Assessment, he has been a key advisor to the Department of Internal Affairs, Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Ministry for the Environment, Department of Corrections, Melbourne Museum, and a number of local councils on key strategic and multi-disciplinary projects and decision-making processes. Alongside his Māori heritage, Antoine also celebrates his descendancy from French and American settlers in New Zealand.
