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New university & polytechnic council members appointed

Tuesday 18 December 2012, 5:49PM

By Steven Joyce

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Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce today announced three new appointments to the councils of Massey University, the University of Waikato and the Nelson and Marlborough Institute of Technology.

Michael Ahie is appointed to the Massey University Council, Ian Fitzgerald is appointed to the University of Waikato Council and Gabrielle Hervey will join the council of the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology.

“The new council members bring both strategic and governance experience across various fields and will offer invaluable commercial insight to their respective Councils,” Mr Joyce says.

The Minister also reappointed several existing council members to the WelTec/Whitireia combined council, to follow on from completion of their first term as members of the combined council. Reappointed to the WelTec/Whitireia combined council are: Hon Roger Sowry (Chair), Peter Steel, Dennis Sharman and Suzanne Snively. Vaughan Renner has been reappointed as a member and appointed as Deputy Chair.

Biographies

Michael Ahie

Mr Ahie has strong strategic and governance skills, an excellent commercial background, a track record of innovation, and effective links to the Māori community. Mr Ahie is a business owner and a founding partner of AltusQ New Zealand Limited, part of an Australasian leadership and business coaching group. He has extensive governance experience and is chair of Plant & Food Research. In August 2012 Mr Ahie was appointed to the seven-member establishment board of Callaghan Innovation and his appointment to the Massey University Council will provide a useful link between the two institutions.

Ian Fitzgerald

Mr Fitzgerald has considerable experience and expertise at a strategic level, with strong financial skills. He is Managing Director of Burleigh Evatt and his professional interests are in corporate governance, organisational performance, and financial business analysis. His professional experience has extended across both the public and private sectors and he has significant governance experience that includes being Chairman of Kiwibank, from which he retired in 2011 after serving on the board for 10 years.

Gabrielle Hervey

Ms Hervey stepped down earlier this year as Managing Director and CEO of the World of WearableArt (WOW), a role that she held for 10 years. WOW is one of New Zealand’s most well-known local success stories, which has had an impact on international fashion and design by challenging conventional perceptions of art, fashion and dance. Ms Hervey has excellent connections with the local and national employers that have links to NMIT and has governance experience gained across commercial, local government and education institutions. Her skill base also includes tourism, hospitability and the arts, which are all areas relevant to the development of NMIT.