Appointments to the National Infrastructure Advisory Board

National Infrastructure Advisory Board Chair Dr Rod Carr has announced the reappointment of Kathryn Edmonds to the Board and the new appointment of Matthew Birch to replace departing member Alex Sundakov. Lindsay Crossen has also been appointed to the role of Deputy Chair.

"With the on-going commitment and priority the government is placing on infrastructure and the focus of the National Infrastructure Unit on building the robust evidence base ahead of the next National Infrastructure Plan, we welcome the reappointment of Kathryn Edmonds to the Board and the appointment of Matthew Birch," says Dr Carr.

"Recent announcements of over $10 billion of infrastructure spending in Auckland and Christchurch underline just how important infrastructure is to the economy and as an enabler of economic growth.  The scale of the planned investments and the timeframes involved reinforce the value of taking a planned, coordinated and long term approach to infrastructure from a national perspective.

"The 2011 National Infrastructure Plan sets out a bold vision that 'By 2030 New Zealand's infrastructure is resilient and coordinated and contributes to economic growth and increased quality of life.'

"The National Infrastructure Advisory Board has a role in helping to achieve this vision and providing advice to both the Minister of Finance and the National Infrastructure Unit within Treasury.  A key role for the Board is to engage with the private sector, local government and other stakeholders.

"The appointment of Lindsay Crossen as Deputy Chair will give the Board more flexibility to manage meetings and general business.  Lindsay is a founding member of the Board and his previous roles include being Chief Executive of Fulton Hogan New Zealand Group."

"Kathryn Edmonds has made an important contribution to the Board over the past two years as we have discussed water, planning legislation and local government issues.  This reflects her experience as a Commissioner of the Environment Court of New Zealand.  Prior to this, Kathryn led the Environmental Division at Opus International Consultants, which provided services in environmental engineering, hydrology, hydraulic structures, planning, landscape, heritage and ecology.  Kathryn's reappointment is for a three year term.

"Matthew Birch brings a wealth of experience in the capital markets and finance sectors, with a particular focus on the Asia Pacific region.  Recently returned to Wellington, Matthew has spent considerable time working in Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney with a focus on foreign exchange, investment lending, corporate and government bond trading, and a wide range of other capital markets services.  Matthew has been appointed for a three year term.

"The Board would also like to acknowledge the end of Alex Sundakov’s term on the Board and thank him for the valuable contribution he has made over the past four years," says Dr Carr.

The full list of Board members are Dr Rod Carr (Chair), Lindsay Crossen (Deputy Chair), Matthew Birch, Margaret Devlin, Kathryn Edmonds, Edward Guy, Dr Terence Heiler and John Rae.

Further information#

The National Infrastructure Advisory Board was established to advise the National Infrastructure Unit (NIU) and the Minister of Finance. It is made up of members from the private sector and outside central government.

The Board provides both the Minister and the NIU with advice and perspectives on infrastructure project appraisal, capital asset management issues, and the development and implementation of the National Infrastructure Plan.  A key role for the Board is to engage with the private sector, local government and other stakeholders.

The Board meets three to five times a year.  Members also facilitated the recent series of seven regional workshops run by the NIU in June 2013 to explore future trends and scenarios and implications for our future infrastructure needs.

Further information on the Board, including profiles of the members is available here on the NIU website.

Further information on the National Infrastructure Plan is available here on the NIU website.