2023 New Zealand Economics Forum

Adrian Orr was appointed Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand - Te Pūtea Matua in March 2018.

Previously, Adrian was Chief Executive Officer at the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, and prior to that he was Deputy Governor and Head of Financial Stability for the Reserve Bank.

Adrian has also held the positions of Chief Economist at Westpac Banking Corporation, Chief Manager of the Economics Department at the Reserve Bank and Chief Economist at The National Bank of New Zealand. He has also worked at the New Zealand Treasury; and the OECD, based in Paris.

Adrian graduated from the University of Waikato with a Bachelor of Social Sciences, majoring in Economics and Geography. He also has a Master of Development Economics from the University of Leicester, England.

Nicola Willis is a List MP based in Wellington, having entered Parliament in 2018. She is National’s Deputy Leader, as well as spokesperson for finance and social investment. She is currently a member of Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Select Committee and the Intelligence and Security Select Committee.

Nicola previously held a number of senior management roles at Fonterra, where her work included leadership of the global trade strategy team. She also served on the boards of Export NZ and policy think-tank The New Zealand Initiative.

Nicola was a senior advisor to Prime Minister John Key before and during his first term in Government, and was a researcher for Bill English as opposition education spokesperson.

Steven Joyce has a unique combination of commercial and political experience. He was a senior Minister in the John Key-led National Government of New Zealand, and prior to that he was a co-founder and later CEO of RadioWorks, growing the company to $60m revenue in 2001.

Over nine years in Cabinet (2008-2017), Steven held the portfolios of finance, economic development, science and innovation, transport, and ICT. He also spent seven years as Minister of Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment. He led the government’s economic growth programme, the ultrafast broadband rollout, and the country’s largest highway building programme in decades. He was also the campaign chief for the National Party for five national elections.

Steven currently provides strategic commercial, marketing and public policy advice to a range of clients in the finance, technology, education, and construction sectors across Australia and New Zealand.

Rob Fyfe (CNZM) is an experienced director, investor, and business advisor. He was CEO of Air New Zealand from 2005 to 2012, and CEO of Icebreaker from 2014 to 2017.

Since March 2020, Rob has been a strategic advisor to the Prime Minister and liaison with the business community in support of the Covid-19 response. He also chairs an executive governance board overseeing the upgrade of New Zealand's emergency services and first responder communications network.

Among his many roles, Rob is currently chairman of the board at Michael Hill International, Fitout Solutions, Auckland Labour Hire, and Recorp. He is a director of Air Canada, New Zealand Rugby Commercial, Hammerforce Ltd, and an advisor to Craggy Range Wines and Emma Lewisham skincare.

In addition, he chairs the leadership advisory group advising the government on legislation to help combat modern slavery and human trafficking, and is an honorary advisor to the Asia New Zealand Foundation. In 2021, Rob was appointed as a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for his services to business and tourism.

Keriana Brooking joined PwC as a Partner in October 2022, bringing more than 20 years' experience in senior executive roles in the New Zealand public health sector.

Keriana is widely recognised for her dedication to improving the health of New Zealanders. Her strength lies in her strategic thinking and ability to challenge policy makers to improve processes and services to deliver improved outcomes.

Before joining PwC, Keriana was interim National Director Commissioning of Te Whatu Ora, Health NZ for six months, and Chief Executive at Hawke’s Bay District Health Board from 2020 to 2022.

Prior to that, Keriana worked for the Ministry of Health in various senior positions from 2014 to 2020, most recently as Deputy Director General - Health System Improvement. She was Chief Executive Officer of Turanganui Primary Health Organisation (PHO) from 2003-10, and then became Deputy CEO and General Manager Practice Services of the Midlands Health Network.

Adrian Littlewood served as CEO of Auckland International Airport for nine years until late 2021, having previously been the company's General Manager of Retail and Commercial.

Adrian steered the airport through the challenging times of Covid-19. He also reset the airport's 30-year master plan and started an ambitious programme of growth and development across all areas of the business.

Earlier in his professional career, Adrian worked in strategy, product and marketing management roles at Spark/Telecom New Zealand, and was a management consultant in the United Kingdom. Prior to that he worked as a corporate lawyer for Bell Gully in Auckland and Baker & McKenzie in London.

Adrian co-chaired the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum for five years, focusing on bilateral policy development that enhances business and trade between the two countries. He was also Chair of the New Zealand Airports Association, a director of Tourism Industry Aotearoa, and a director of North Queensland Airports Ltd in Australia.

Nicola Willis is a List MP based in Wellington, having entered Parliament in 2018. She is National’s Deputy Leader, as well as spokesperson for finance and social investment. She is currently a member of Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Select Committee and the Intelligence and Security Select Committee.

Nicola previously held a number of senior management roles at Fonterra, where her work included leadership of the global trade strategy team. She also served on the boards of Export NZ and policy think-tank The New Zealand Initiative.

Nicola was a senior advisor to Prime Minister John Key before and during his first term in Government, and was a researcher for Bill English as opposition education spokesperson.

Rachel Simpson joined Business New Zealand in 2018, where she is the Manager for Education, Skills and Immigration.

Rachel works on issues relating to labour market demand for skilled workers and building a productive workforce.

Prior to joining BusinessNZ, Rachel held various senior management and advisory roles in government education agencies, Parliament, and the education sector.

Rachel has advised within New Zealand and internationally in the areas of industry training, tertiary education policy and investment, international education, and education systems and strategy.

Professor John Gibson is ranked in the top 0.2% of economists worldwide in terms of research productivity. His academic research is recognised at the highest levels, including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

He has made major contributions to policy-oriented research, especially in the area of Pacific-New Zealand migration policies and survey-based measurement of poverty and living standards.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand, a Distinguished Fellow of the New Zealand Association of Economists and the Australasian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, a President’s International Fellow of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a non-resident visiting Fellow at the Asian Development Bank Institute.

A serial innovator, John Macaskill-Smith has more than 20 years’ experience in senior leadership roles in both the public and private health sectors.

He has worked with the Health Funding Authority and the Ministry of Health, leading New Zealand’s largest regional GP network and PHO. In the private sector, John has delivered innovative new operational models for business, clinical and digital services across New Zealand, Australia, the Middle East and the UK.

John currently works as Chief Network Officer for digital health startup Tend, which is a New Zealand-owned independent healthcare business that combines the best of clinical care, technology and people to deliver a new type of patient experience.

John is also involved in a wide range of governance and mentoring roles across industries including education, health, animal health, and digital.

Frances Valintine (CNZM) is an educator and technologist who is passionate about shifting education and business practices to better prepare people with the skills and capabilities they need to be successful in today’s rapidly changing world.

The author of Future You, she is the CEO of academyEX, a postgraduate institute which is focused on professional development in the fields of technological advancement, education, sustainability and leadership.

In 2013, Frances founded The Mind Lab, which empowers students and educators to develop their confidence and capability in emerging digital technologies. The Mind Lab won an award for Best Start-Up in Asia-Pacific in 2014, as judged by Steve Wozniak and Sir Richard Branson. In 2016 she founded Tech Futures Lab, which offers a range of qualifications that enable professionals to learn relevant new skills.

Frances has received numerous awards for her work, including being named one of the top 50 EdTech Educators in the World in 2016. In 2022 she was inducted into the New Zealand Hall of Fame for Women Entrepreneurs. She is an advisor to the Edmund Hillary Foundation, a judge on the Hi-Tech Awards, and a director of On Being Bold, which supports emerging female leaders to dream big.

Susan Hassall has been the Headmaster of Hamilton Boys High School since 2000, following her early career as a teacher of English at the same school. This made her the first woman in New Zealand to lead an all-boys secondary school.

Susan has extensive experience in education, leadership, and managing change in an organisation. She has been involved as an executive member of the Association of Boys’ Schools of New Zealand since its inception in 2002. Susan also has an abiding interest in gifted education, having contributed to the Minister's Gifted and Talented Advisory Group for many years.

Susan joined the University of Waikato Council in 2016, becoming Pro-Chancellor in 2017. She is also Chair of The University of Waikato Foundation, and a member of the Hospice Waikato Board. In 2021, Susan was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for her services to education.

Alwyn Poole is a well-known and highly experienced figure in the New Zealand education system, who has been a prominent voice in the partnership schools movement.

In 2018 Alwyn co-founded Innovative Education Consultants (IEC) to share the uniquely written Project-Based Curriculum, which allows students to develop their knowledge and skills while retaining an intrinsic love of learning.

He was the founding principal of the privately run Mt Hobson Academy in Newmarket, Auckland for the school's first 17 years from 2003 to 2019. He is also a former board member of the Villa Education Trust, which successfully established two partnership schools - South Auckland Middle School and Middle School West Auckland.

Prior to that Alwyn was an economics teacher and 1st XV coach at Tauranga Boys College from 1991-96. He then took up roles as Head of Commerce, first at Hamilton Boys' High School and then at St Cuthbert's College in Auckland, from 1997-2001.

Sir Maarten Wevers (KNZM) has a distinguished 45-year career as a New Zealand diplomat and public servant, building a reputation for thoroughness and efficiency, and has undertaken numerous governance and advisory roles.

Sir Maarten was Chief Executive of the Department of the Prime Minister from 2004 to 2012, serving prime ministers Helen Clark and John Key. During his time at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he served as Ambassador to Japan, High Commissioner to Papua New Zealand, and Private Secretary to prime minister David Lange.

When New Zealand hosted APEC in 1999, he was chair of the Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Senior Officials’ Meeting. In 2000, he left the ministry to become regional director of New Zealand Post International.

Sir Maarten is currently deputy chair of the Fred Hollows Foundation of New Zealand, chair of the Aspen Institute New Zealand, Patron of the Wairarapa Dark Sky Association, and a trustee of the Victoria University of Wellington Foundation.

Anne Tolley has had wide experience in local and national politics over the last 30 years. She is currently the Commission Chair of Tauranga City Council.

Anne served for nine years as a Government Minister (2008-2017), holding the portfolios of education, police, corrections, social development, children, and local government. From 2017 to 2020, she served as Deputy Speaker of the House. She was also the Parliamentary representative to the International Parliamentarians Union.

First elected to Napier City Council in 1986, Anne was also elected to the inaugural Hawke's Bay Regional Council for one term, and later served as Deputy Mayor of Napier for six years until 1995. In 1999, Anne first entered Parliament as a list MP for the National Party, based in Napier. She then moved to Gisborne and successfully contested the East Coast electorate in 2005; a seat that she held until her retirement from national politics in 2020.

Dr. Graham Scott is a director at Sapere Research Group in Wellington, where he provides strategic, economic, financial and management advice.

Graham has enjoyed a long career in economic policy and public sector management. As a public servant, he had leading roles in New Zealand's far-reaching reforms of the 1970s, 80s and 90s, rising to Secretary of the Treasury from 1986 to 1993.

After leaving the public sector he chaired the Health Funding Authority and the Electricity Market Company, and for 25 years he advised governments and international organisations in 50 countries at all stages of development. He was a Commissioner of the New Zealand Productivity Commission from 2011 to 2019.

Graeme's current interests are innovation in social policies, improving New Zealand’s fiscal institutions, and the use and regulation of impact investment markets using smart contracts on the block chain.

Simon Bridges is CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber and a non-executive chair and director on a number of company boards. As a senior National politician and MP for Tauranga, Simon held a raft of senior responsibilities, including as Leader of the National Party.

As a Minister in the Key/English governments, Simon held a wide variety of ministerial portfolios, including economic development, transport, communications, energy and resources, labour, associate finance, and Leader of the House.

Simon helped to roll out nation-building infrastructure like ultra-fast broadband, and opened major new roads like the Waterview Tunnel. He also implemented policies to grow the electric vehicle market, and investments in KiwiRail to improve public transport options in New Zealand.

Prior to Parliament, Simon started his career as a litigation lawyer in a national law firm and was then a Crown prosecutor for several years, conducting many serious criminal jury trials.

Tania Tapsell, who is of Te Arawa descent, is the first Māori woman elected as Mayor of Rotorua, having previously served as a Councillor for nine years. She was first elected as a Rotorua Lakes Councillor in 2013 at the age of 21, and went on to serve as the Chairperson of Council’s Operations & Monitoring Committee.

Tania has also worked in tourism and top finance firms BNZ Business Partners and Deloitte as a consultant, helping businesses to grow. She is a qualified Resource Management Commissioner, has a Bachelor of Management Studies from the University of Waikato, and Diplomas in Business and Marketing.

Tania is passionate about advocating for communities and ensuring a strong local voice. She was Deputy Chairperson of the NZ Community Board Executive Committee, which represents 110 boards across the country.

Chris Meehan is the founding partner principal and CEO of Winton, a publicly listed property developer that specialises in developing fully integrated and master-planned residential communities, with many large-scale projects currently in progress throughout New Zealand and Australia.

Brad Olsen is the Chief Executive and Principal Economist at Wellington-based economics consultancy Infometrics. He is one of New Zealand’s leading economic commentators.

Brad is passionate about using economics to understand emerging trends, inform advice and analysis to key decision makers, and drive solutions that will fundamentally benefit people's lives. He is able to communicate complex and detailed trends in a simple, relatable, and useful manner.

As a young person, he brings a different perspective to the key opportunities and challenges that New Zealand faces. He also takes a keen interest in global economic trends and the current shift in supply chains. Brad his also a leading commentator on housing and infrastructure issues across New Zealand.

Brad is a community leader and a former member of Wellington City Youth Council. He was named New Zealand’s Queen’s Young Leader in 2016, one of Asia New Zealand Foundation’s 25 to Watch in 2019, and Young Wellingtonian of the Year 2020.

Steven Joyce has a unique combination of commercial and political experience. He was a senior Minister in the John Key-led National Government of New Zealand, and prior to that he was a co-founder and later CEO of RadioWorks, growing the company to $60m revenue in 2001.

Over nine years in Cabinet (2008-2017), Steven held the portfolios of finance, economic development, science and innovation, transport, and ICT. He also spent seven years as Minister of Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment. He led the government’s economic growth programme, the ultrafast broadband rollout, and the country’s largest highway building programme in decades. He was also the campaign chief for the National Party for five national elections.

Steven currently provides strategic commercial, marketing and public policy advice to a range of clients in the finance, technology, education, and construction sectors across Australia and New Zealand.

Adrian Orr was appointed Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand - Te Pūtea Matua in March 2018.

Previously, Adrian was Chief Executive Officer at the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, and prior to that he was Deputy Governor and Head of Financial Stability for the Reserve Bank.

Adrian has also held the positions of Chief Economist at Westpac Banking Corporation, Chief Manager of the Economics Department at the Reserve Bank and Chief Economist at The National Bank of New Zealand. He has also worked at the New Zealand Treasury; and the OECD, based in Paris.

Adrian graduated from the University of Waikato with a Bachelor of Social Sciences, majoring in Economics and Geography. He also has a Master of Development Economics from the University of Leicester, England.

Professor of Law Alexander Gillespie works at the University of Waikato, where he specialises in international law related to war, the environment, refugees and civil liberties. In 2021 he was the joint winner of the Critic and Conscience of Society Award, in recognition of his public commentary on laws related to Covid-19, terrorism, cannabis reform, and gun regulation.

Professor Gillespie was the first New Zealander to be named Rapporteur for UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention, involving international environmental diplomacy. He has served as a lawyer/expert on international delegations; been commissioned by the United Nations and the Commonwealth Secretariat, and advised various government and commercial organisations around the world on legal and policy matters.

Professor Gillespie has authored more than 40 academic articles and 19 books, most recently People, Power and Law: A New Zealand History (2022) and in 2021 he published the fourth volume of his Causes of War series.

Josie Pagani has worked in aid, politics, trade and media. For the last six years she has been the Executive Director of the Council for International Development (CID), the peak body organisation for New Zealand’s aid agencies. She was an inaugural member of the government’s Trade for All Advisory Board, and its Aid for Trade External Group.

Josie has been involved in progressive think tanks in the UK and Europe, and is a regular commentator on current and international affairs in New Zealand TV, radio and print. She writes a weekly column in the Dominion Post and Stuff, and is a host and commentator on Today FM.

She has worked as a political advisor to governments, prime ministers and ministers, and has high-level experience working in the aid and development sector at the OECD DAC in Paris, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After returning to Wellington from Paris in 2007, Josie managed a public affairs consultancy with a number of international clients, including the World Bank’s Global Development Network.

Patrick Crewdson became Stuff's Head of Product, Storytelling in August 2022, after spending two decades working as a journalist. He was Editor of stuff.co.nz, New Zealand's largest news website, from 2014 to 2022.

In 2019, Patrick was named editorial executive of the year at the Voyager Media Awards and received New Zealand's top journalism prize: the Wolfson Fellowship. This allowed him to travel to Cambridge University in the UK to spend three months researching trust in the news media.

Earlier in his journalism career, Patrick was named business feature writer of the year at the Qantas Media Awards 2010, and best environment feature writer in 2007. Patrick covered the 2005 election as a political reporter for the Herald on Sunday, before joining The Dominion Post as a reporter and web editor, where he was promoted to Head of News in 2010.

Paul Conway became Chief Economist and Director of Economics at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand in May 2022. Prior to that he was Chief Economist at BNZ.

Paul has extensive international experience, having previously worked at the OECD and with the World Bank. He has been described as 'breaking the mould of the traditional bank economist' with his focus on the potential of digital transformation to improve productivity and wellbeing in New Zealand.

“A strong focus on how we can embed and maximise the benefits of digital technology will help us build stronger, more resilient businesses that deliver high-value products and services, create better jobs and enhance wellbeing,” he says.

Before joining BNZ, Paul spent seven years as the Director of Economics and Research at the New Zealand Productivity Commission. Much of his work there examined firm-level productivity and understanding the obstacles New Zealand businesses face in using technology to improve performance.

Cameron Bagrie is the Managing Director and Chief Economist at Bagrie Economics. He has been an economist for more than 20 years and has developed a reputation for taking a forthright stand on even the hardest of economic issues.

Cameron was the Chief Economist at ANZ from 2006 to 2017, heading a team that was consistently ranked #1 for its analysis of the New Zealand economy. He took the team beyond commentary on the usual economic indicators and wrote extensively on everything from agriculture, banking and credit facilitation, to key industries and government fiscal policy.

He has also worked as an economist at the National Bank, Treasury and Statistics New Zealand, and is currently a board member of the Life Education Trust.

Cameron's approach to economics is pragmatic and non-ideological. He believes that too much commentary focuses on what the Reserve Bank does, while ignoring microeconomics and the wider economy. As a public speaker Cameron has a real talent for communicating complex issues in layman's language.

Christina Leung heads up membership services at NZIER, where she looks after NZIER’s economic forecasts and analysis of its Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion. She works with many clients looking at topical issues, including the wider economic impact of particular industries and investments, and key developments in the construction sector.

Christina has been an expert witness in a wide range of litigation cases involving remedial construction work, and is regularly asked to provide commentary to a broader audience on general economic developments. She is a Board Director and Vice Chair of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Society NZ.

Before joining NZIER in 2015, Christina had more than 10 years’ experience in the public and private sectors, having worked at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and ASB Bank. At ASB, she led the quarterly forecasting process, produced regular commentary on key economic and industry developments, and provided guidance to clients on the economic outlook and financial market developments.

Professor Frank Scrimgeour is an internationally regarded researcher, lecturer, and business/policy advisor, who has spent more than two decades of his professional career at the University of Waikato's Management School.

As an economist, Frank's research focuses on the economics of agriculture, the environment, regional economics, and financial economics. His current research projects include the impact of climate change on food production, and the drivers of demand for emerging food products in different markets.

He has published widely in international journals, and is committed to research that informs economic  and financial policy and best business practice.

Frank has been awarded lifetime membership of both the New Zealand Association of Economists, and the New Zealand Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, the latter of which he is president.

Chris Finlayson is a practising barrister (King’s Counsel) and was a Member of Parliament and senior minister with the National Party from 2005 until 2019, when he returned to his legal career.

Chris served as Attorney-General and Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations from 2008 to 2017, during which time he achieved an unprecedented number of Treaty settlements - 59 in just nine years. He is the co-author of He Kupu Taurangi: Treaty Settlements and the Future of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Before entering politics, Chris was a partner at Belly Gully for many years in the 1990s, where he helped Ngāi Tahu pursue its treaty claims against the government in a series of high-profile court battles.

He was appointed by the Governor-General as Queen’s Counsel in 2012, and went on to represent New Zealand in the International Court of Justice in a case against Japan’s commercial whaling programme in the southern oceans.

Parekawhia McLean is the Chair of Te Whakakitenga o Waikato, the governing body of Waikato-Tainui, as well as Chief Executive of Te Kāhui Tātari Ture | Criminal Cases Review Commission.  She is committed to promoting the economic and social wellbeing of her iwi through housing, education and employment.

Parekawhia was Chief Executive of Waikato-Tainui from 2010 to 2016, bringing with her significant experience from her extensive career as a senior manager and policy advisor in the public sector.  She was a strategic advisor to three of New Zealand’s prime ministers – Jim Bolger, Jenny Shipley and Helen Clark – in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Parekawhia also worked in a a variety of roles at the Minsitry of Māori Development, the State Services Commission, the New Zealand Transport Agency, and Counties Manukau District Health Board.  One of her key achievements was the establishment of the Māori Television Service in 2003.  She also holds governance roles with Transpower, the Māori Helath Authority and Sport Waikato.

In 2021 Parekawhia received the Distinguished Alumni Award, and was appointed a member of the University of Waikato Council, and as Chair of Te Rōpū Manukara.

Jason Mika (Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Whakatōhea, Ngāti Kahungunu) is Associate Professor of Māori Business and Associate Dean Māori at Te Raupapa Waikato Management School and Te Kotahi Research Institute, the University of Waikato.

Jason’s research, teaching, and practice centres on Indigenous business philosophy, including trade, tourism, agribusiness, and the marine economy. His research has influenced several areas of public policy, including trade, environment, and statistics. He completed his PhD in Māori entrepreneurship at Massey University in 2015.

In 2019, Jason was a Fulbright-Ngā Pae o Te Māramatanga Senior Scholar at Stanford University’s Woods Institute for the Environment and the University of Arizona’s Native Nations Institute.

Prior to academia, Jason was a management consultant and policy analyst in Māori economic development. Jason is a member of the Academy of Management, the Australian and NZ Academy of Management, and Te Apārangi Royal Society of New Zealand.

Malcolm Johns is the incoming Chief Executive of Genesis Energy, having recently finished nine years as Chief Executive of Christchurch Airport.

During his tenure at the airport, Malcolm led an extensive digital transformation and sustainability programme, while also navigating multiple earthquakes, a terror attack, and Covid-19. Under his leadership, Christchurch Airport doubled in value, while also removing 90% of scope 1 and 20% of scope 2 CO2 emissions, becoming the world's first airport to achieve the highest level of accreditation for carbon reduction from the World Airports Association (ACI). Today the airport is coaching around 40 other airports globally on their decarbonisation journeys.

Malcolm has served as a New Zealand delegate of the APEC Business Council, where he led the regional trade policy working group on climate leadership. He was a member of the government's 'Trade for All' working group, a founding member of the Climate Leaders Coalition in New Zealand, and has served on a number of boards as a non-executive director.

Amanda Whiting was appointed Chief Executive of IAG New Zealand in July 2021; New Zealand's largest general insurance company. Prior to that Amanda was Acting Group Executive for Direct Insurance Australia.

Amanda is Vice-President of the Insurance Council of New Zealand. She joined IAG from iiNet in 2008, and has more than 20 years’ experience in the insurance industry in both general and health insurance, having held senior roles in these industries as well as telecommunications.

She is also a member of the steering group of the Climate Leaders Coalition, and on the advisory board of the Sustainable Business Council. She is also a member of Global Women, a non-profit organisation that champions ethnic and gender diversity in leadership.

Dr Tanira Kingi (Ngati Whakaue, Ngati Rangitihi, Te Arawa, Ngati Awa) is an agricultural economist with more than 30 years' experience across New Zealand’s primary industry sectors. He is an Emeritus Scientist at Scion, a Climate Change Commissioner, and a science advisor to the Ministry of Primary Industries and the Ministry for the Environment.

Tanira has also held positions as a senior scientist and science strategist at AgResearch and Scion; and as a research academic at Massey University in agricultural systems and management.

He is currently a consultant and science lead for research programmes  focused on land use change and collective decision-making among corporate farmers, predominantly Māori land authorities, which are funded by Our Land & Water NSC and the NZ Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC).

In addition, Tanira holds several directorships in the agricultural sector, including Landcorp Farming (Pamu), Whakaue Farming Ltd, and he chairs Te Arawa Arataua (Te Arawa Primary Sector Collective). He has a PhD in agricultural economics and development (Australian National University), and an MAppSc (Hons) in agricultural systems management (Massey University).

Charles Finny is a partner at the Wellington-based government relations consultancy Saunders Unsworth, and he has worked on the New Zealand-China relationship for over 40 years.

Charles is former Deputy Head of Mission in Beijing, and Director of the New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office in Taipei. He was also First Secretary at the New Zealand High Commission in Singapore. He served 12 years on the board of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, and was chair of the Education New Zealand Board.

Charles has a wide range of experience in government, including working for the Prime Minister's Department, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Department of Trade and Industry. He was responsible for launching the China-New Zealand FTA as New Zealand’s lead negotiator on this project.

He has also done considerable work with the local government sector, and is former CEO of the Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce.

John McKinnon (CNZM) is a former New Zealand diplomat and public servant, who is now a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Strategic Studies, Victoria University of Wellington.

John served twice as New Zealand Ambassador to China and Mongolia - 2001 to 2004, and then 2015 to 2018. Between these postings he was a senior official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Secretary of Defence, and Executive Director of the Asia New Zealand Foundation.

After joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1974, John was posted to Hong Kong for two years of Chinese language training, after which he was assigned to the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing as Second Secretary. His subsequent overseas assignments were in Washington, Canberra and New York; this last in the 1990s when New Zealand was serving a term on the United Nations Security Council.

On returning to Wellington in 1995, he served as Director of the External Assessments Bureau in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet until 2000.

Fran O’Sullivan (ONZM) is a high-profile journalist and commentator for the New Zealand Herald (NZME), writing primarily on business, politics and international affairs.

She is a former Assistant Editor of the New Zealand Herald, and a former Editor of the National Business Review. Fran has won numerous awards for her work, including Qantas Journalist of the Year (twice), and Westpac Financial Journalist Award (three times).

Fran’s experience is not confined to journalism. In 2012, she launched the annual China Business Summit, which is co-hosted by her private company NZINC, in partnership with the Auckland Business Chamber.

She is a member of the New Zealand China Council advisory board, and was a founding Director of the New Zealand APEC CEO Summit board. She is a regular attendee at World Trade Organisation and Apec meetings.

Professor Neil Quigley was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Waikato in early 2015.

With extensive governance experience, he has served as a director of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand since 2010, and was elected Chair of the Board in 2016. He has also served as a director and acting chair of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), and currently chairs NZQA's Risk and Assurance Committee.

During his academic career, Professor Quigley was previously Professor of Economics, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Provost at Victoria University of Wellington, where he taught and published research in the fields of industrial organisation, money and finance, and economic history. He was an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Western Ontario in Canada.

Matt Bolger became the Pro Vice-Chancellor of Waikato Management School in 2020, following 18-years at Fonterra where he held a number of senior leadership roles in New Zealand and internationally.

He now leads the Waikato Management School – for the last two years proudly ranked #1 in New Zealand for Business and Economics by the global Times Higher Education rankings.

In August 2022, Matt was appointed Chairman of the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand, the industry body for New Zealand’s world-leading dairy processing, marketing and exporting organisations.

Matt has a Bachelor of Science (Business Administration) from Georgetown University in Washington DC. He has also studied at Victoria University in Wellington, Columbia University in New York, and Sophia University in Tokyo.

Professor Frank Scrimgeour is an internationally regarded researcher, lecturer, and business/policy advisor, who has spent more than two decades of his professional career at the University of Waikato's Management School.

As an economist, Frank's research focuses on the economics of agriculture, the environment, regional economics, and financial economics. His current research projects include the impact of climate change on food production, and the drivers of demand for emerging food products in different markets.

He has published widely in international journals, and is committed to research that informs economic  and financial policy and best business practice.

Frank has been awarded lifetime membership of both the New Zealand Association of Economists, and the New Zealand Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, the latter of which he is president.

Professor Anna Strutt specialises in international trade policy modelling and analysis. She has served as a consultant or expert advisor to a range of national and international organisations.

For example, Anna recently led a team working with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) on modelling the impact of a switch to climate-smart trade and she has undertaken work for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) on modelling the impacts of recent trade agreements.

Anna has also worked with agencies such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the World Bank.