Structure
Incorporated under the Companies Act 1993, Ōtākaro is a Crown-owned company, listed under Schedule 4A of the Public Finance Act 1989 and subject to the Crown Entities Act 2004, the Official Information Act 1982 and the Ombudsman Act 1975. Its shareholders are the Associate Minister of Finance and the Minister for Land Information, who each hold 50% of the share capital.
Board of Directors
The Board is committed to a high standard of corporate governance and regulatory compliance in guiding and monitoring the Company’s activities.
Corinne Haines, CNZM, Chairperson
Corinne Haines has more than 50 years’ business experience and was at the helm of Trimble Navigation New Zealand Limited for nearly 20 years. She is currently CEO, City Missioner, at the Christchurch City Mission.
Corinne has a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Economics. She is a fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
Christchurch born, Corinne has a passion for the city and the opportunities and lifestyle it provides for residents. She was awarded a special commendation at the 2014 Champion Canterbury Awards for her outstanding contribution to the Canterbury Community.
In 2015 she was a member of an Independent Panel which advised the Minister of Defence on the Defence White Paper 2015.
Corinne was named a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to business in the 2016 New Year’s Honours.
Peter Townsend, CNZM, Director
Peter is a former chief executive officer of The Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce, a position he held for 21 years.
He is currently committed to governance roles, which are predominantly based in Christchurch.
He is an inaugural board member of Ōtākaro Limited and chairs the Audit and Risk Committee.
Peter is chair of Te Papa Hauora, The Health Precinct. He is also a board member of Warbirds over Wanaka Limited, and a member of the Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum Trust Board.
He is a fellow of The Institute of Directors, a life member of The Otago University Students‘ Association, and a life member of The Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce.
Peter is the Honorary Consul of Chile, for the South Island.
He has a BSc (Hons) and a Post Graduate Diploma of Business from Otago University. In 2014 Lincoln University awarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Commerce, in recognition of his services to the business community.
In 2013 Peter was made a Companion of The New Zealand Order of Merit.
Miriam Dean, CNZM KC, Director
Miriam Dean has 38 years of legal experience as a former partner of law firm Russell McVeagh and is a long-standing member of the independent bar. She was president of the New Zealand Bar Association from 2011 to 2012. She has conducted a number of inquiries and reviews, including chairing the Government’s Electricity Price Review from 2018 to 2019 and Auckland Council’s review of its council-controlled organisations in 2020.
With 25 years of governance experience, Miriam is the current chair of the Banking Ombudsman Scheme, as well as a director of the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand. Past directorships include chair of NZ on Air, director of Crown Infrastructure Partners Limited, deputy chair of Auckland Council Investments and a member of the Auckland Transition Authority.
Miriam facilitated and reported to the Government on discussions with engineers on options for the repair, restoration or replacement of Christ Church Cathedral in 2017. She is also chair and a member, respectively, of the Legal Advisory Board and the Advisory Committee of the Greater Christchurch Earthquake Claims Resolution Service.
Miriam was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business and law in 2013.
Paul Blackler, Director
Paul Blackler is the General Manager – Construction New Zealand at Ryman Healthcare and has 38 years’ experience in the construction industry.
He was deputy chairman of the Building Practitioners Board from 2005 to 2012. The Board played a key role in shaping the licensing system for building practitioners, and hears appeals against licensing decisions and complaints against Licensed Building Practitioners.
Paul has been actively involved in the post-quake regeneration of Christchurch. He joined Citycare in 2013 to manage the Building Construction division, before taking up the leadership of Citycare Civil in 2015.
He was Chairman of the Citycare JFC Joint Venture which has delivered many of the city’s most significant civil projects and was a board member of SCIRT (Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team) from mid 2017 to early 2019.
Senior Leadership Team
The Senior Leadership Team supervises and oversees the day-to-day operational activities of the Company:
John O’Hagan – Acting Chief Executive and Director Programme Delivery
John is currently Acting Chief Executive while a permanent chief executive is being recruited, in addition to his role of Director Programme Delivery. John is an experienced chartered professional engineer who has been involved in the Christchurch earthquake recovery for the past 12 years. Delivering the Crown-led anchor projects, John leads a diverse programme covering a range of complex vertical and horizontal projects in the central city, from initiation phase through planning, execution and project closeout. His programme leadership includes complex stakeholder-driven infrastructure developments, diverse and challenging political interests, skills in vertical building design and construction, as well as balancing commercial outcomes against the Crown’s objectives. John’s skills and his ability to balance consultation with decisive action, are well known and respected. John has been passionate about the rebuild of Christchurch and is pleased to see the work of his dedicated team now being enjoyed by residents and visitors.
Sue Squire – General Manager of People and Capability
Sue oversees the development, design and delivery of the People and Capability strategy including recruitment and change management to ensure the company is fit for purpose. Sue is also responsible for the Ōtākaro Health Safety and Environment team, which works with both Ōtākaro staff and external contractors on site. Sue had over 20 years’ experience in Human Resources positions with large organisations such as Westpac, Meadow Mushrooms and most recently Lincoln University, before she joined Ōtākaro during its establishment in 2016. Sue lives in Christchurch with husband John. She is passionate about developing and nurturing people, and wellbeing. In her spare time she can be found around the Port Hills either on a bike or on foot, or browsing around interior design shops.
Sam Jack – General Counsel & Company Secretary
Sam has 20 years’ legal experience in New Zealand, Ireland and the UK. He is a leading construction and commercial lawyer and for the last 15 years has worked in-house for energy and construction companies, at EDF Energy in the UK and at Genesis Energy and Fulton Hogan in New Zealand. Sam was Fulton Hogan’s first New Zealand based lawyer and over his eight-year tenure, he developed and led a team of senior lawyers supporting Fulton Hogan’s large and diverse New Zealand business. Sam joined Ōtākaro in November 2022 as General Counsel & Company Secretary. Sam lives in Auckland with his wife and two young children. He is passionate about construction, infrastructure and health and safety, and in his spare time is actively involved with youth cricket and football.
Kirstie McNulty – General Manager Te Pae
Kirstie has a background in retail management with over 20 years’ experience working in corporate retail environments. Kirstie spent 10 years at Scentre Group with her most recent role being centre manager at Westfield Riccarton, where she gained extensive experience in major asset management and marketing. Kirstie and her team are responsible for overseeing the owner relationship with the venue operators, ASM Global at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre.
Ken Forrest – Director Corporate Services
Ken is a chartered accountant, director and senior executive with leadership experience in the construction, wholesale/distribution, agribusiness and engineering sectors. Auckland-based, Ken spent many years in Christchurch and is excited to support Ōtākaro to turn a Christchurch success story into a nationwide one. Leading the newly formed Corporate Services unit, comprising Project Services, Finance and IST, Ken brings significant systems and business transformation experience. In his spare time he enjoys track walking, mountain biking and watching football.
Mark O’Regan – General Manager, Government Relations
Mark leads the Ōtākaro engagement with central government and other Crown organisations. His team is responsible for ensuring the company’s capabilities are well understood, with a focus on building relationships and identifying opportunities for Ōtākaro to take on new infrastructure projects. Mark’s team also works to ensure Ōtākaro has a seat at the table in key policy discussions, and that the company’s perspectives are positively influencing the development of infrastructure-related policy. Mark previously worked at the Treasury and the Ministry of Transport in Wellington, and before that worked in advisory roles for EY in Canada, Germany, the UK and Ireland. Mark is based in Wellington, where he likes to take in the sights and sounds of the ‘coolest little capital in the world’. He is a Munster rugby supporter, and in his spare time he dabbles in podcasting and PC building.