Hon Megan Woods
Minister of Research, Science and Innovation
MEDIA STATEMENT
18 July 2018
New appointments to Crown Research Institute boards
Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods is pleased to announce a number of new Board appointments to the
Crown Research Institutes (CRIs).
“CRIs carry out important scientific research for the benefit of New Zealand, and play an important role in addressing
some of our most pressing issues, such as biodiversity and climate change,” says Woods.
“Today it is my pleasure to announce the appointment of eight new members to five of the CRI boards. The new appointees
come from a wide range of professional backgrounds, and will each bring their own unique set of skills and strengths to
the Institutes.
“It’s also really pleasing to see an increase in the number of women on these boards from 35.4% to 44.7% of CRI board
members.
“These appointments are a testimony to each new member’s leadership and achievements in their respective fields, and I
am confident they will positively contribute to the future performance of the CRIs,” says Woods.
The new board members are:
• Rukumoana Schaafhausen as a Director of AgResearch (with Dr Paul Reynolds temporarily acting as the Chair)
• Kate Thomson as a Director of the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR)
• Felicity Evans as a Director of the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS)
• Barry Harris as Chair, and Mary-Anne Macleod and Dr Tracey Batten as Directors, of the National Institute of Water and
Atmospheric Research (NIWA)
• Dr Parmjot Bains and Wendy Venter as Directors of the NZ Institute for Plant & Food Research.
See the appendix for more information on each of the appointments.
Media contact: Penny Arrowsmith 021 406 069
Appendix 1: New member bios
AgResearch
Deputy Chair, Dr Paul Reynolds will act as Chair until the appointment process for a new Chair is completed.
Mrs Rukumoana Schaafhausen has been appointed as a Director. Mrs Schaafhausen is an experienced Director and is
currently Chair of Waikato-Tainui Te Kauhanganui Incorporated and a previous Director of Genesis Energy.
Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR)
Ms Kate Thomson has been appointed as a Director. Ms Thomson is currently the Chief Financial Officer of the Australian
Road Research Board and a previous Chief Financial Officer of NIWA.
Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS)
Ms Felicity Evans has been appointed as a Director. Ms Evans is currently the General Manager, Human Resources, at the
ANZ Bank, and she serves on the Board of Global Women and is a past trustee of the Equal Employment Opportunities Trust.
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA)
Mr Barry Harris has been appointed as the Chair. Mr Harris is a very experienced Director who is currently the Chair of
the Waikato Institute of Technology and OSPRI. He is a director of Dairy NZ and a previous Deputy Chair of AgResearch.
Ms Mary-Anne Macleod and Dr Tracey Batten have been appointed as Directors. Ms Macleod is the outgoing Chief Executive
of Bay of Plenty Regional Council and was a senior manager at the Ministry for the Environment. Dr Batten is a
professional director who currently serves on the Boards of Medibank in Australia and Abano Health Care in New Zealand.
New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research
Dr Parmjot Bains and Ms Wendy Venter have been appointed as Directors. Dr Bains is the Senior Director of Global Access
for Pfizer Inc and a previous Advisor and Senior Fellow of The George Institute of Global Health. Ms Venter is a
previous Assistant Auditor
ends