Rt Hon Winston Peters
Minister of Racing
14 March 2006
Minister For Racing Announces New Zealand Racing Board Appointments
Rt Hon Winston Peters today announced the appointment of Warren Bell and Alistair Sutherland, and the reappointment of
Thayne Green and Jim Wakefield to the governing body of the New Zealand Racing Board.
Messrs Sutherland, Wakefield and Green are appointed on the nomination of the racing code bodies - New Zealand
Thoroughbred Racing, Harness Racing New Zealand and the New Zealand Greyhound Racing Association, respectively.
Mr Bell was appointed on the advice of the statutory nomination advisory panel, convened in accordance with the Racing
Act 2003.
Mr Peters said Mr Bell, the chairman of Hallenstein Glasson, would bring a great deal of commercial expertise to the
board table and the code-nominated appointees would collectively bring considerable racing industry knowledge as well as
additional business skills.
“These appointments, together with the incumbents, will ensure that the New Zealand Racing Board has members of the
highest calibre. The Board has a great opportunity to be at the forefront of the revitalisation of New Zealand racing,”
said Mr Peters.
Other members of the New Zealand Racing Board governing body are chairman Warren Larsen, Julie Crengle and Alan Jackson.
Their terms expire at the end of the current racing season, and they are eligible for reappointment. The process for
making appointments to these positions will commence soon.
Members Of The New Zealand Racing Board: Brief Cvs
Warren Larsen (independent chairperson) is an experienced company director and business consultant. Warren is the former chief
executive of the NZ Dairy Board, and prior to that was the CEO of Bay Milk Products Ltd. He was previously the marketing
manager for UEB Industries Ltd. His current directorships include Fletcher Challenge Forests Ltd., Richmond Ltd., Owens
Group Ltd., Centreport Ltd., and Air NZ Ltd; and his former directorships include Whey Corporation of NZ, NZ Dairy
Research Institute, and PDL Holdings Ltd. Warren is a chartered accountant and a Fellow of the Institute of Management.
He is based in Wellington.
Warren Bell (independent member) is a former senior partner in chartered accountancy firm Deloitte, with considerable experience in
corporate mergers and acquisitions, auditing, and company valuations. Warren has considerable directorship experience,
including chairman of Hallenstein Glasson Holdings Ltd and the Alto-Vertex group of companies. Warren was chairman of
PDL Holdings Ltd and is a director of a number of private companies and district council businesses. He is based in
Christchurch.
Julie Crengle (independent member) is a barrister and solicitor with Trans-Tasman experience. Julie is a partner of the
Wellington-based law firm, Crengle, Shreves & Ratner, which specialises in corporate, commercial and securities law. She has previously acted for the New Zealand
Greyhound Racing Association on corporate governance issues and the NSW TAB. She is based in Wellington.
Thayne Green (greyhound racing nominee) has widespread racing administration experience and ownership in all three racing codes. He
has represented the greyhound code on the Racing Industry Board, the Racing Authority and the TAB, and is a former
President of the Auckland Greyhound Racing Club. Thayne is now retired. Previously he held various positions in the
hospitality, motor and transport industries. He is based in Auckland.
Alan Jackson (independent member) is the managing partner of the Boston Consulting Group in New Zealand and an executive committee
member of the Boston Consulting Group internationally. Alan has considerable skills and international experience in
business, specialising in strategy and organisational design. He has been involved in strategic reviews of sporting
organisations across Australasia. He is based in Auckland.
Alistair Sutherland (thoroughbred racing nominee) was chairman and managing director of Philips NZ Ltd and held senior international roles
with TMP Worldwide / Morgan & Banks and Magnum Corporation. He is an experienced company director, having held directorships of various private and
public companies. He has significant experience in racing administration, including previous service on the Racing
Industry Board and the TAB. Alistair currently serves on the board of New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and the Auckland
Racing Club. He is based in Auckland.
Jim Wakefield (harness racing nominee) is an experienced company director and manager. His current appointments include chairman of
Australasian Holdings Ltd. and Meadow Mushrooms Ltd. Previous appointments include chairman of Mutual Pacific
Corporation Ltd. and Westbridge Holdings Ltd., and as a director of Development Finance Corporation. Jim was the
previous chairman of Harness Racing New Zealand and is a member of various trotting clubs and associations. He is based
in Christchurch.
BACKGROUND NOTES
ON THE NEW ZEALAND RACING BOARD
1. The Racing Act 2003 established the New Zealand Racing Board (NZRB) as the industry’s principal policy body and as
the provider of racing and sports betting services (the TAB brand and its operations continue under the NZRB).
2. The statutory objectives of the NZRB are: to promote the racing industry; to facilitate and promote racing betting
and sports betting; and to maximise its profits for the long-term benefit of New Zealand racing. The primary function of
the NZRB is to develop policies that are conducive to the overall economic development of the racing industry, and the
economic well-being of people who, and organisations which, derive their livelihoods from racing.
3. Under the Racing Act 2003, the NZRB consists of seven members, appointed by the Minister, as follows –
a. an independent chairperson, appointed after industry consultation;
b. one person appointed on the nomination of New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Incorporated (NZTR);
c. one person appointed on the nomination of Harness Racing New Zealand Incorporated (HRNZ);
d. one person appointed on the nomination of the New Zealand Greyhound Racing Association (Incorporated) (NZGRA); and
e. three persons appointed on the advice of a nomination advisory panel.
4. The membership of the NZRB governing body is:
Member Membership Expires
Warren Larsen (Chairperson) 31 July 2006
Warren Bell (independent) 31 July 2008
Julie Crengle (independent) 31 July 2006
Thayne Green (NZGRA nominee) 31 July 2008
Alan Jackson (independent) 31 July 2006
Alistair Sutherland (NZTR nominee) 31 July 2008
Jim Wakefield (HRNZ nominee) 31 July 2008
5. Graeme Hansen is the NZRB chief executive.
ENDS