New Regenerate Christchurch Board Chair Will Build on Achievements of Outgoing Chair

Regenerate Christchurch chief executive Ivan Iafeta is looking forward to working with the organisation’s new Board Chair, Dr Thérèse Arseneau, to build on the significant achievements of its outgoing Chair, Sue Sheldon.

The agency is governed by an independent Board made up of members appointed by its funders, the Council and the Crown. Under the Greater Christchurch Regeneration Act, Board leadership is determined by the Crown for the first three years of its five-year lifespan and Council for the final two years (from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2021).

Dr Arseneau succeeds Ms Sheldon, who was appointed by the Crown for a fixed term until 30 June 2019 when the organisation’s original chairperson, André Lovatt, moved to Auckland to take up a new role.

Dr Arseneau has extensive governance experience and currently chairs the boards of ChristchurchNZ, Ara Institute of Canterbury and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra; and is a Director of J Ballantyne Company Ltd.

Past governance roles include Director and Chair of Enterprise North Canterbury, Deputy Chair of the Family Help Trust and Director of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Mr Iafeta says the organisation has made significant progress under the leadership of Ms Sheldon, who is currently a director of Wayfare Group and The Salvation Army, and independent Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee of Auckland Council; and a former Chair of Freightways, Chorus and Paymark and former Deputy Chair of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.

“Three significant pieces of work delivered during Sue’s tenure have been our advice on regeneration momentum in the central city, which has led to Council developing its central city action plan; the long-term vision for Cathedral Square and the advice on short-to-medium term regeneration of the area; and the draft regeneration plan for the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor which is currently with the Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration.

“Sue has provided strong leadership to the Board, clarity of direction for the organisation and support for our people and the best-for-city work they are doing. On behalf of our team, I want to thank her for everything she has done.

“I also want to thank outgoing Board member Richard Holden, whose fixed term ended last week, for his valuable contribution.”

The Council has also re-appointed current Board member Jen Crawford and appointed former member Bill Dwyer, whose previous term ended in February 2019.

Ms Crawford is a lawyer with 20 years of national and international experience in project consenting and planning. She is the Independent Chair of Ashton Wheelans Chartered Accountants, a Director of Ngāi Tahu Seafood Limited and member of a governance group for the Canterbury Schools rebuild programme. Past roles include UC Foundation Trustee and Chair of the Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust Board.

Mr Dwyer is the Chair of Development Christchurch Limited (DCL), the Council’s development and investment agency. He is a commercial and corporate lawyer educated at the University of Canterbury and is an alumni patron of the UC Foundation. He is a former director of Christchurch City Holdings Limited (CCHL).

The Crown’s two appointments to the Board are Manaia Cunningham, as nominated by Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, and Hilary Walton. Mr Cunningham is a qualified teacher and is currently employed by Te Rūnanga o Koukourārata, the Māori settlement at Port Levy on Banks Peninsula. He also sits on the Banks Peninsula Water Zone Committee. He was previously employed at Environment Canterbury as a strategic advisor.

Ms Walton is Manager Enterprise Business Systems at Airways and leads the strategy for IT operations and digital business transformation. She has a background in organisational psychology, risk management and security. Her international experience includes work with the MI5 intelligence agency and the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in London.

Mr Iafeta says he is looking forward to working with Dr Arseneau and the wider Board as the organisation continues to meet its obligations under the Greater Christchurch Regeneration Act.

-ENDS-

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