Andrew joined EECA in 2017. Previously he was Managing Director for MWH, a global engineering and environmental consultancy, and CEO of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council for 13 years. Andrew has a commerce degree with an accounting major and is a Companion Member of the Institute of Professional Engineers.

Mike Kyne is the director of Kyne Management Services, that he founded in 1994 after a distinguished career with New Zealand Police. His consultancy firm offers advice and expertise in employment matters, compliance issues, analysis, auditing and review. He also specialises in risk analysis, strategic planning and change management.

Mike has considerable experience coaching managers and owners in the application of procedural and practical requirements under current business legislation. This provides businesses with the confidence and support to apply the necessary procedures in the workplace. He also represents employers in mediation and in the Employment Relations Authority. Mike has established a strong reputation for providing practical advice and on-site assistance to transport firms.

Rachel has a background in natural health and for the last 13 years has been specialising in the area of occupational fatigue management. Rachel has regularly led  Fatigue Management Masterclasses and presented at a number of industry conferences speaking on the subject of fatigue management.

Rachel facilitated NZ’s first research study on the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in a Commercial Driver population, which was co-funded by ACC and the Log Transport Safety Council (LTSC). Rachel remains very involved with the LTSC’s efforts to identify & support high risk OSA drivers.

Katherine Rich has been a strong voice for New Zealand industry for 30 years. Recently she stepped down as Chief Executive of the New Zealand Food and Grocery Council, the peak body for goods and services suppliers to supermarkets, after over a decade of publicly raising issues regarding improving competition and the treatment of suppliers in the grocery sector (including transport and logistics companies). Her advocacy played a key role in convincing government that significant legislative reform was needed to curb supermarket duopoly power as well as a Grocery Code of Conduct for Supermarkets.

Katherine was a Member of Parliament 1999 – 2008 and prior to that held a number of agribusiness marketing roles. She is Chair of the New Zealand Parliamentary Education Trust and is a Board member of New Zealand’s largest children’s charity Barnardos. She is married to businessman, Andrew Rich, who still holds a HT licence having been a truck driver for Tulloch Transport earlier in his career. Together they have four children.

Josie Pagani writes a weekly column in Stuff and the Dominion Post. She works in aid, politics, trade and media, and is involved in progressive think tanks in the UK and Europe. For the last six years was the Executive Director of the Council for International Development (CID). She has worked as a political advisor to governments, to Prime Ministers and ministers, and has high-level experience in the aid and development sector at the OECD in Paris, and before that, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Verna Niao is the Executive Director of MITO – Te Pūkenga. MITO is the work-based training organisation for the automotive, extractives, logistics and transport industries; and is a division of Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology. Each year, MITO helps thousands of New Zealand learners gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. Verna is responsible for the strategic leadership and operational management of the organisation.

Phil O’Reilly ONZM is Managing Director of Iron Duke Partners, a Wellington based Public Policy Advisory Firm. He is a global business leader and advocate.

Until recently Phil was Chair of the Board of Business at OECD, based in Paris, and a member of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation based in Geneva.

He has worked closely with the B20, advising G20 leaders and was also a member of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC).

Phil O’Reilly has acted in both governance and advisory capacities to a number of New Zealand and overseas organisations in areas as diverse as trade, sustainability, diversity, pay equity, manufacturing, tertiary education, child poverty, social welfare and the future of work.

He was previously Chief Executive of BusinessNZ, New Zealand’s leading business advocacy group, representing thousands of businesses of all sizes.

David Turner is a senior business executive and trusted advisor with over 20 years’ experience in the risk management industry. David joined the Australian Army and became part of a specialised team where he deployed to East Timor in 1999. After the military contracted to varied private and government organisations in leadership, risk and project roles; he opened his own company that advised on risk management and provided personnel for major projects including; BHPB, Rio Tinto, Multiplex, Police, Australian Elections, and also CHOGM 2011 working with State and Federal Police.

David was born in NZ and returned in 2016 to work on the Transdev Wellington rail network transition. He now lives in New Zealand permanently and has worked with Deloitte, KPMG, Defence, MOJ and PwC. He brings a unique blend of expertise across diverse areas with a focus on risk management of human behaviour – one of the more complex, dynamic and often over-looked areas of the industry.

Julie Anne Genter has been a Member of Parliament for the Green Party since 2011.

She is currently the spokesperson for Transport, Energy and Resources, Finance, Urban Development, Building and Construction, Infrastructure and State Owned Enterprises. She is also Deputy Chairperson of Parliament’s Transport and Infrastructure Select Committee.

Julie Anne previously served as Minister for Women and Associate Minister of Transport and Health, from 2017-2020. In that time, she led development of the Government’s emissions reduction policies in transport, most notably the extremely effective Clean Car Discount and Standards. Before entering politics, Julie Anne worked as a qualified planner and transport consultant in Auckland. It was here she produced ground-breaking research into transport economics and urban design, including authoring research reports for the NZTA.

Michael was first elected to Parliament at the 2016 Mt Roskill by-election. In opposition he was Labour’s spokesperson for Transport, Revenue, and Consumer Affairs, and after the election he had roles as Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister for Ethnic Communities and Chair of the Finance & Expenditure Select Committee, before coming into the Chief Labour Whip role in mid-2019.

Following the 2020 General Election, Michael became a sworn Member of the Executive and was appointed as the Minister of Transport and Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety. He was also given the role of Deputy Leader of the House. Michael has also taken up roles as the Minister of Immigration, Minister for Auckland, and Associate Minister of Finance. Michael is driven by the core belief that all people deserve the opportunity to flourish and reach their potential regardless of background.

Paul Mackay is Manager Employment Relations Policy at Business New Zealand. He has over 30 years high-level experience in the fields of industrial relations, employment law, labour market policy, strategic planning, change management and human resources in central government, state owned enterprise and the private sector. During the 1980s, as a government official, Paul was extensively involved in the huge reforms of the environmental sector, public service and the “Tomorrow’s Schools” reforms of the education service. Paul spent several years at national grid operator Transpower, before working at Ernst & Young and Carter Holt Harvey.

Since joining BusinessNZ in 2006, Paul has represented New Zealand employers internationally on many occasions at the International Labour Organisation (ILO), as well as acting as spokesperson for the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) on employment related topics. In 2021, he was elected as a member of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation based in Geneva.

First term ACT MP and spokesperson for Environment, Climate, Transport and Local Government, Simon is a Civil and Environmental Engineer with 20 plus years’ experience in roles for the private sector and local government. This includes 10 years leading engineering, planning, tendering, and leading construction teams primarily in Auckland, Wellington, and Fiji. Simon has three teenagers, the youngest with Down Syndrome which influences his perspective on accessibility.

In local government Simon managed a portfolio of 200 closed landfills, many in the coastal area, with aging and failing infrastructure. This experience led to a change of direction, and eventually to Parliament with ACT, where Simon sits on Environment Committee and Transport Committee. Simon believes that Transport policy should focus on improving network efficiency, relieving congestion and building capacity before the roads are gridlocked, not fixing climate change. That is because the cap on emissions under the ETS and a carbon price already sets the right incentive.

Campbell Barry is in his second term as the Mayor of Lower Hutt. He was first elected to the role in 2019, making history as New Zealand’s youngest ever elected Mayor of a city. Prior to this, he served two terms as a City Councillor, and worked in various other private and public sector roles.

He was born and raised in Wainuiomata where he attended his local primary, intermediate and high school. He lives there with his wife Laura, and is actively involved in his local community – it wouldn’t be unusual to see him out refereeing club rugby or playing cricket on a Saturday.

Mayor Barry is leading the Hutt City Council at a time of significant opportunity and challenge. His priorities include fronting up to the impacts of our changing climate, investing in the core infrastructure our city and region needs, and unlocking the potential of  ransformational projects like RiverLink.

Hutt City Council is one of the most diverse and progressive in the country. Mayor Barry is proud to
lead the city with his values of fairness, social justice and equity – making decisions to ensure all our
people can thrive.