Governance

The Trustee board may consist of up to 12 persons having such special knowledge, experience, qualifications and interest as the Board may from time to time prescribe. A formal appointment policy has been approved by the Board to ensure the best possible mix of the above skills.

Where considered appropriate non trustees may be appointed to Board sub committees to further stregthen the skills available.

Up to three trustees may be appointed from time to time by the Board from local government entities within the Wellington region......

Full details of approved policies are available on this site: Policies.

Patron:

Fran Wilde QSO Fran is currently Chair of Wellington Regional Council. Starting her working life as a journalist, she then entered politics. She became a cabinet minister in the eighties, then left Parliament to become Mayor of Wellington.  Formerly she was Chair of Housing New Zealand and Chief Executive of Trade New Zealand.

                                 

The Board:

The foundation is governed by a high-profile and well-regarded board of trustees who volunteer their time.

Current members are:

Kevin O’Connor (Chairman) Company Director and founding trustee Kevin was formerly the Chairman of Infratil Limited, a specialist investor in international infrastructure and utility assets. Previously he had a 35 year career in investment and stockbroking. He is a member of the New Zealand Takeovers Panel; Deputy Chairman of Utilities Emerging Markets Ltd and a member of the Catholic Foundation of Wellington as well as being involved with a number of other charitable bodies. He is a keen sportsman and maintains an active interest in golf, tennis, skiing and walking.
Richard Caughley Partner, Morrison Kent, Barristers and Solicitors Richard is a lawyer and has been a partner of Morrison Kent since 1985. He is currently head of the Commercial Property team and is also a member of the Morrison Kent Board. He is married to Sarah and has three teenage children. He is passionate about golf and is a member of Royal Wellington Golf Club. He also enjoys sailing, clay bird shooting and tennis.
Stuart Macaskill CNZM; QSO former Wellington Regional Council Chairman Born in Lower hutt, Stuart was the owner of a retail hardware business in Upper Hutt from 1956 to 1983. He was elected to the Upper Hutt City Council in 1971 and was Deputy Mayor for six years. In 1980 he was elected to the Wellington Regional Council and was Chairman for fifteen years. He is a past president of Local government New Zealand; NZ Catchment Authorities Association and the NZ Regional Government Association. Stuart is married to Patricia and has three adult sons.
Ian McKinnon QSO Wellington City Deputy Mayor Wellington-born Ian graduated from Victoria University in Economics and politics and later qualified with a post graduate diploma in education from Auckland University. His career has focused on education, working in schools in New Zealand and abroad.  On retiring as Headmaster of Scots College, he set up a consultancy advising Boards of schools. He has had considerable experience in senior management, governance, and finance.  Previously Chair of the Wellington College of Education and Chair of the Correspondence School, Ian is currently Deputy Mayor of Wellington and Chancellor of Victoria University. He is married to Jenny and they have two married children.
Terry Nowland Partner, Nowland Gordon and Associates, Barristers and Solicitors Terry is a lawyer and has practiced in Wellington for nearly forty years. He specialises in commercial, commercial property and personal work, such as trusts and wills. He is a director of various private companies and a trustee on a number of trusts. He is a member of the Institute of Directors and of the New Zealand Trustees Association. Married with three children, he enjoys golf and other leisure activities such as walking.
Graeme Sinclair Fellow Chartered Accountant Graeme Sinclair joined the Nikau Foundation Board in June 2009.  He is a Fellow Chartered Accountant and brings twenty one years experience as a partner of KPMG. He is a member of the Grants and Investments sub committees. Graeme operates his own business developing business strategies, business plans and assessing business risk. Te Omanga Hospice is a key contract where he is a member of the management team. He is deputy chair of UNICEF New Zealand. Graeme enjoys following motorsport, playing golf, skiing and spending time with his wife and family of three children.
Carol Stigley Company Director Carol is a company director and resides in Wellington. She is currently on the board of the Hospitality Standards Institute; Standards New Zealand; National Library; Wellington ICT and Vinacom Ltd (advisory board). Former appointments include St. James Theatre; NZ Domain Registry Ltd (establishment chair); Weltec Council and Wellington Free Ambulance. Earlier management background included export; industry development and regulatory reform work; CEO of the Minsitry of Consumer Affairs and CEO of Local Government New Zealand. Carol is a member of Wellington Justices of the Peace Association Council and is the Consul General for Denmark.
Gus van de Roer Branding and Marketing Strategist Gus was owner and Chief Executive of one of New Zealand’s leading branding agencies. Educated in the Netherlands, he worked in several countries, including Spain and the UK, before settling in New Zealand with his ‘Kiwi’ wife, Beverley.. He has spoken at many conferences on branding and was a member of the Designers Institute of New Zealand, the Institute of Directors and the International Association of Business Communicators. Gus is presently a Trustee of the New Zealand Opera Foundation, The New Zealand Netherlands Foundation and is a strategic consultant to several organisations. Non Trustee members of Sub Committees: Tim McGuinness Investment Management External member of Investment Sub Committee: Tim has held senior executive and board / trustee positions with substantial New Zealand based investment management organisations and funds for over 10 years and has an extensive specialist financial market knowledge and experience built up through involvement with the management of investment funds for over 25 years. He is currently Chairman of the Government Superannuation Fund Authority, Chairman of Trustees of the Dairy Industry Superannuation Scheme and Fonterra Superannuation Scheme and a trustee of the New Zealand Fire Service Superannuation Scheme, the Police Superannuation Scheme, and a director of Whai Rawa Fund Limited. These positions followed senior executive and funds management positions with Royal & SunAlliance and Norwich Union / State Insurance for over 15 years. He has also undertaken a number of consultancy assignments, is Chairman of the Nominating Committee for the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation  and was previously a member of the NZ Stock Exchange Surveillance Panel for a number of years. Tim is a born and bred Wellingtonian and attended St Pat (Town) college and Victoria University. He is married with four children.