New Associate Member Of Commerce Commission Appointed

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has today confirmed the appointment of Vhari McWha as an associate member of the Commerce Commission.

The appointment was made by the Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi as the Minister responsible for the Commerce Commission. MBIE is the Commission’s monitoring agent.

The Board of the Commerce Commission currently has six members appointed by the Governor-General, including the Chair, Deputy Chair and Telecommunications Commissioner. The Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister may also appoint any number of associate members. Following Ms McWha’s appointment, the Board will have four associate members, including one who is cross-appointed from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

About the appointee

Ms McWha is an experienced economist and advises on public policy and regulation, including competition analysis and market design. She has a background in quantitative analysis, including cost benefit, modelling and forecasting work. She also has expertise in the energy sector. She is currently a Director at Sapere, where she has worked since 2011.

Ms McWha’s previous positions include Deputy Director at the economic consultancy NZIER and Regulatory Affairs Manager at Meridian Energy. Ms McWha has a Master of Commerce (Hons) and a Bachelor of Commerce, both in economics, from the University of Canterbury. She was a Board member and Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee for GirlGuiding New Zealand from 2012 to 2018. In 2019, she was awarded a Local Hero Medal at the New Zealander of the Year Awards for her work with the Girl Guides.

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