Hon Phil Heatley
Minister for Housing
29 August 2011 Media Statement
Interim Social Housing Unit Director Appointed
Housing Minister Phil Heatley has welcomed the appointment of interim Social Housing Unit (SHU) Director, Michael Pead.
"The establishment of the SHU and Michael’s appointment is an important step towards implementing Government’s aim of
achieving a significant increase in the volume of social, niche and affordable housing delivered by the third sector,"
says Mr Heatley.
Earlier this year we announced that $40 had been set aside to help the third sector grow the volume of social housing.
"The role of the SHU, currently a semi-autonomous unit within the Department of Building and Housing, will be to
administer that funding and to actively work with third sector providers to explore and develop opportunities to
increase the social and affordable housing pool," says Mr Heatley.
"The Community Housing sector has repeatedly told us and have demonstrated that they are ready, willing and able to step
up to provide social and affordable housing at volume. The role of the SHU is to assist the sector with this aim,
providing funding, land and if appropriate surplus Housing New Zealand stock, to enable them to leverage the greatest
volume of housing possible," says Mr Heatley.
Mr Pead will take the role until a permanent Director is appointed.
Mr Heatley also announced the appointment of a new four-person panel to monitor the progress of social housing reforms.
Chaired by Brian Donnelly, the Ministerial Advisory Panel (MAP) will advise Ministers on how well the reforms are
progressing, the results being achieved, and any major issues that arise.
"We have a very important programme of change underway in social housing, the role of the MAP is to ensure Ministers
know exactly how the SHU and social housing reforms are progressing," says Mr Heatley.
The Panel members are:
• Brian Donnelly, Chair
• Andrew Body
• Rau Hoskins
• Lisa Woolley
"The Panel members all have significant expertise in the sector, which equips them well for this work. The MAP will not
be involved in the day-to-day management of the SHU or in grant decisions but will instead provide Ministers directly
with independent advice on the direction and progress of reforms. This will avoid any conflict of interest issues,"
Minister Heatley says.
ENDS
Biographies:
Michael Pead
Michael has an extensive commercial background which includes senior management and consultancy experience, in both the
private and public sector. He is also a chartered accountant. Michael will lead the Social Housing Unit until the
permanent Director is appointed.
Brian Donnelly
Brian Donnelly is the Executive Director of the NZ Housing Foundation. Brian is a trustee of the Queenstown Lakes
Community Housing Trust (QLCHT), a member of the Social Entrepreneur Fellowship, the Chair of the Wilson Home Trust, and
a member of Auckland’s Social Policy Forum. He is also a Director of Bridon Group Ltd – a small property consultancy
practice and was a member of the Housing Shareholders Advisory Group.
Andrew Body
Andrew Body is a Director of Crown Fibre Holdings Limited. He was a shareholder and Director of FR Partners until 2001.
He has 20 years experience as investment banker & private banker focussing on mergers and acquisitions and capital raising.
He will contribute experience in business and particularly the property sector. Andrew was a member of the Housing
Shareholder Advisory Group.
Rau Hoskins
Rau Hoskins (Ngāti Wai, and Ngāti Hau) is a director of the Design TRIBE architectural practice specialising in kaupapa
Maori design. Rau has lectured in Maori architecture at the Auckland and UNITEC School’s of Architecture since 1990 and
currently co-heads Te Hononga - The Centre for Maori Architecture and Appropriate Technologies at Unitec. Rau wrote the
Maori Housing design guide in 2002, convened the inaugural hui of Maori design professionals in 2006 and was an elected
delegate of the National Maori Housing Conference in 2010. He is a founding board member of the Centre for Housing
Research Aotearoa New Zealand, a member of the Council for Community Housing Aotearoa, and the Acting Chair of Te
Matapihi National Housing Advocacy Group. Rau holds a Masters in Architecture degree from the University of Auckland.
Lisa Woolley
Lisa is the Chief Executive Officer of the VisionWest Community Trust in West Auckland, which has been offering
community-based services to people in West Auckland since the 1980’s. The Trust’s work includes providing safe, healthy,
affordable, quality housing for low-income families combined with support for other aspects of the tenants’ lives. Lisa
is also a member of the Council for Community Housing Aotearoa. She has a Graduate Diploma in Not for Profit Management
and is currently studying towards a Masters in Social Practice.