Appointment of Chief Executive of Ministry of Transport
30 June 2008
The State Services Commissioner, Mark Prebble, today announced the appointment of Martin Matthews to the position of
Chief Executive and Secretary for Transport, Ministry of Transport.
Mr Matthews is currently the Chief Executive of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, a position he has held since
September 2000. He was appointed Acting Chief Executive for MCH in July 1998.
"Mr Matthews has 10 years' experience as a Chief Executive and has built and maintained a well performing Ministry. He
has extensive experience in monitoring and working with Crown entities and has successfully managed sensitive issues and
high profile initiatives. He is currently responsible for overseeing the funding and accountability for 18 Crown
entities, Crown Companies and Non Governmental Organisations, and he is responsible to five Ministers.
"He has also been responsible for leading a series of nationally significant initiatives, including the Tomb of the
Unknown Warrior, the New Zealand Memorial in London, the development of Te Ara (the online encyclopedia of New Zealand)
and the transition to digital free-to-air broadcasting," Mark Prebble said.
Mr Matthews joined the Audit Office in 1979 and was appointed Assistant Auditor-General in 1990. During this time he
helped develop the Public Finance Act, the Public Audit Act and contributed to the design of the Crown Entity Act
framework. From the Office of the Auditor General Mr Matthews was appointed Acting Chief Executive of the Ministry for
Culture and Heritage.
Mr Matthews has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Economics and is a Chartered Accountant. He takes up his appointment on
29 September 2008.
ENDS