Auckland Council’s Performance and Appointments Committee today appointed Geoff Hunt to be the chair of the Watercare Services Limited Board with effect from 12 October 2024.
A ‘revisited’ appointment
The council revisited its process to appoint the chair following a judicial review of the process undertaken for the appointment earlier this year. The outcome of that process was that the High Court set aside the appointment of the chair made on 25 June 2024.
The judgment did not direct concern toward the appointment itself, but rather the process that was followed to complete the appointment.
“Ensuring the appropriate appointment practices are in place, and carried out, to deliver well-governed council-controlled organisations is a priority for us and we have adjusted our processes accordingly,” says Alastair Cameron, the council’s Manager CCO/External Partnerships team.
The Performance and Appointments Committee is responsible for all appointments to the boards of council-controlled organisations, in accordance with the council’s Appointment and Remuneration Policy for Board Members and the Local Government Act.
About Geoff Hunt
Geoff’s career has been mainly in construction, operation, and maintenance of critical infrastructure. Over a 27-year period he has been CEO of four successful New Zealand-based companies operating in these areas. He has worked in the UK and the USA and has been involved in project delivery and infrastructure maintenance services in Australia, the Pacific, Melanesia, and SE Asia.
Geoff has worked in and held governance roles in both the government and private sectors and in industry bodies. He is currently a New Zealand Infrastructure Commission board member and director of two privately owned business providing materials to the construction sector. Through Geoff Hunt Consulting Ltd he advises on business performance improvement, staff relations and development, construction project delivery, and construction sector dispute resolution.
Geoff has a master’s degree in engineering, is an Engineering New Zealand Distinguished Fellow and a member of the Institute of Directors.
