Civic Financial Services Strategic Finance Forum

Raymond re-joined Taituarā in June 2014 as Sector Improvement Manager, before commencing his current role as Chief Advisor at Taituarā. He has spent most of the last 20 years in local government related roles, most recently with the Department of Internal Affairs.

He describes his job as two-thirds providing assistance to the local government sector and one-third providing advice to central government on local government matters. His ambition is to help develop a Local Government Act that doesn’t require changes every 18 months. He asks that you wish him well with this task.

Sarah joined the Office of the Auditor-General in 2007. Before joining the Office, Sarah was an Audit Manager at Audit New Zealand.

As a Sector Manager in the Local Government team, Sarah is responsible for developing and maintaining the audit methodology for the audit of long-term plans (LTPs), including amendments.

She is also responsible for the Auckland Council Group and the councils and associated entities in the Northland region, the Department of Conservation, and stakeholder engagement with Society of Local Government Managers (Taituarā).

Sarah also provides support to the Secretariat of the Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI).

Ganesh is well known to local government having previously been the Chief Economist for BERL.

As the Former Chair of the Productivity Commission, he oversaw the Fair chance for all inquiry into reducing persistent intergenerational disadvantage in Aotearoa.

Ganesh outlined some of the findings from the inquiry, including a review into the recent progress of joined-up social services. Read the review Together alone: A review of joined-up social services or a summary here

Jim Palmer chaired the panel that undertook a two-year review into the Future for Local Government, which delivered its report in June 2023. In 2021, he retired as chief executive of Waimakariri District Council after 17 years. Currently, Mr Palmer is the independent chair of the Greater Christchurch Partnership. He is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, with experience as an audit director for Audit New Zealand and the Audit Office. Mr Palmer’s governance experience includes Chair of Riskpool, Chair of the Kaikōura Earthquake Recovery Steering Group and Chair of the Canterbury Chief Executives Forum.

Myles Lind is a Chartered Engineer and is the New Zealand Vice President of Institute of Public Works Engineers Australasia. Myles received is early training in asset management at MWH (now Stantec) in the UK. In 2001, he was recruited to the planning department of Watercare Services in Auckland, before taking up the role of Asset Planning Manager at Metrowater in 2006. Following the amalgamation of the Auckland councils in 2010, he established the new Compliance and Performance department at the expanded Watercare. He currently leads the Asset Planning business unit at Queenstown Lakes District Council. Myles is a strong advocate for infrastructure benchmarking and risk-based investment.

Jo is passionate about putting the customer’s experience at the centre of every interaction. She believes that the NZBN offers an opportunity to transform business engagement in this digital age. Her role in the NZBN team entails collaborating with public sector agencies to provide support, inspiration and advice on implementing the NZBN into agencies’ systems and processes. Jo’s experience covers both public and private sector organisations in NZ and the UK working from the boardroom to the shop floor.

In this session, Jo will present some insights and learnings from a recent report developed by ArcBlue that was commissioned by NZBN. The report covers the benefits of implementing the NZBN into finance systems and processes.

Beth’s area of expertise is collaborating with stakeholders to create enduring, strong relationships and rewarding associations, built on mutual respect and integrity. She has worked with a variety of stakeholders from large government agencies and sizable corporates through to small businesses and charitable trusts. She has a wealth of experience in conceptualising future states, selling the strategic intent and creating the pathway to implementation.

Alan has been with Whangarei District Council since 2006 and is currently the General Manager Corporate / CFO for, with responsibility for Financial Management, Revenue, ICT, Business Improvement, Communications and Business Support

He is also a Director of the Northland Regional Landfill Limited Partnership, a joint venture between WDC and a private company that operates the largest recycling facility and landfill north of Auckland.

Prior to entering local government he had over 20 years experience in the financial services sector, including funds management, merchant banking and retail banking both in NZ and offshore.

Alan has also been directly involved in the NZ Local Government Funding Agency since its inception; from assisting in its establishment through to his current role as Chair of the Shareholders’ Council.

Sam is the General Manager of Corporate Services at Greater Wellington Regional Council, a role that also encompasses oversight of asset management. She is also the past President of IPWEA NZ, the professional organisation for those involved with public works engineering and asset management in New Zealand and the organisation behind the International Infrastructure Management Manual (IIMM).

A lawyer by training, Sam has worked in legal and non-legal roles in and for local government organisations in New Zealand and the UK for 20 years. She is passionate about the role of local government and the ongoing development of the local government sector.

Based in Wellington, Michelle is a Director in PwC’s national Public Sector specialist tax advisory team.

Michelle spends a lot of her time advising the local authority sector on tax issues across the spectrum, including tax governance, tax risk management and everyday transactions entered into by local authorities.

Michelle recently spent 18 months working for a local authority so is acutely aware of the inner workings and pressures facing local authorities.

Michelle has recently been working on tax policy issues that affect local authorities including proposed income tax changes and the donee status of mayoral relief funds.

Anthony heads the team supporting the New Zealand Accounting Standards Board (NZASB) at the External Reporting Board (XRB) in its role of developing and issuing accounting standards for New Zealand entities who report in accordance with GAAP.

Anthony has over 17 years of professional accountancy experience, providing audit, internal audit, and business advisory services across the for-profit, not-for-profit and public sector.

Prior to joining the XRB, he held senior leadership positions at his predecessor firms providing assurance and technical advisory services, specialising in IPSAS™ and IFRS implementation and interpretation.

Anthony has been the Technical Advisor to the New Zealand Board member on the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) from March 2016.

Anthony is also a member IR4NPO Technical Advisory Group who are developing the world’s first internationally recognised guidance for not for-profit organisations.

Stuart has 35 years of financial markets experience. Stuart’s activities have largely focused on advising European, Asian, Australian and New Zealand companies and Government agencies on debt funding and overall financial risk management awareness, strategies and solutions. He offers a diverse global and local market perspective in all areas of debt management and treasury risk management.

Stuart is a Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) with the Institute of Finance Professionals New Zealand (INFINZ) since 1999. Prior to this Stuart was a member of the UK Securities and Futures Authority (SFA).

Stuart has been a partner in PwC’s Corporate Treasury team for 5 years. Prior to joining PwC, Stuart was a Director and Shareholder at Asia –Pacific Risk Management Limited (APRM) for 11 years. Stuart was Vice President for Deutsche Bank New Zealand’s Risk Management Advisory unit from June 1998 to January 2001. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Stuart was Head of Financial Engineering at National Australia Bank (NAB) and 8 years in London holding senior management positions with Bank of America, Sanwa Financial Products, and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi.

Stuart specialises in financial risk identification, analysis, forensics and tailored solutions to add value to client companies’ financial management and performance. He also specialises in debt funding, commodity, foreign exchange and interest rate risk management advice. Stuart’s debt capital markets and banking/credit knowledge assists borrowers in refinancing and debt raising strategies.

Over the past 3 years, Stuart has advised on over NZD 15 billion of debt for New Zealand entities. Funding sources have been diverse ranging from offshore-sourced US private placements, bond issues and placements in Norway, Switzerland, Australia and Japan, to domestic New Zealand-sourced funding including retail bond issues, wholesale placements, commercial paper programmes and bank debt funding.

Stuart was a key architect and joint lead advisor on the formation and establishment of the Local Government Funding Agency (LGFA). The LGFA has significantly exceeded expectations since inception in 2011 with local government funding totalling $8.3 billion as at December 2017. The LGFA has exceed all business case, KPI and SOI objectives. Standard and Poors considers the LGFA to be a global model benchmark for an agency style funding vehicle.

Stuart provides ongoing advice to 12 Local Authorities on treasury related matters including their debt funding.

Brett has extensive local government treasury experience including treasury policy design, hedging strategy advice, and financial risk management. Brett has been a principal treasury advisor to the local government sector since 1997. Brett is principal ongoing treasury advisor to a number of regional, city and district council clients.

Brett has over 25 years treasury and financial markets experience in New Zealand and off-shore. Work experience includes ongoing corporate treasury and financial market advice to organisations that operate in the funding, investment, interest rate and foreign currency markets.

Brett has been a partner in PwC’s treasury advisory team for over 10 years and before that was a one-third owner and director of Asia-Pacific Risk Management from 2004 to 1 October 2012. From 1 October 2012, the business was merged with PwC’s business. Brett joined Asia-Pacific Risk Management in July 2004. The business became New Zealand’s leading independent corporate treasury advisory business.

Brett is a Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) of the Institute of Finance Professionals in New Zealand and a fellow of CAANZ.