David Pine is a private advisor. He is the Chair of the Trade for All Advisory Board (TFAAB) which was announced by Prime Minister Ardern in August 2018. David has advised, a range of companies and individuals including San Miguel Corporation, ASEAN Advisory, KYS Aventura, the University of Otago, Asia New Zealand Foundation, the New Zealand China Council, and the Chirstchurch City Council. He has also advised various parts of the New Zealand Government.

In 2017 he chaired the Advisory Group to select New Zealand's Centres of Asia Pacific Excellence, a $34.5 million investment by the Government. For 21 years, from 1992, David was a diplomat. He was High Commissioner to Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam from March 2011 until leaving the public service in December 2014. He had previously served in New York, Canberra, Kuala Lumpur and as Ambassador to the Philippines. In Wellington, he held a number of policy roles, including as the Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Economic Division.

In the 1980s, David lived in Dunedin where he was a member of the Flying Nun band, Sneaky Feelings.

Catherine Beard is Executive Director of Export NZ and ManufacturingNZ, divisions of Business NZ, New Zealand’s largest business advocacy group, representing thousands of businesses of all sizes. The Business NZ group includes four large regional business associations, the Major Companies Group, Export NZ, more than 70 affiliated industry associations and Buy NZ Made.

The group’s goal is New Zealand’s prosperity through successful business. Catherine works with government and other key decision makers on issues of concern to exporters and manufacturers. Catherine has spent the last 20 years as a lobbyist and advocate for a wide range of industries on a wide range of issues, including on climate change issues for the energy intensive sector, all aspects of the fire and general insurance sector and the agricultural sector (dairy focus). Catherine has participated in Prime Minister led trade missions to Indonesia and China and represents BusinessNZ on the NZ US Council and the Board of GS1.

Catherine was also a co-founder of a start-up business designing and manufacturing children’s nursery furniture, for which two products won national design awards.

Mai Chen is Managing Partner of Chen Palmer Partners, a Director on the BNZ Board, Adjunct Professor at the University Of Auckland School Of Law, Chair of the Superdiversity Institute for Law, Policy and Business. She is an expert on the NZ Parliament’s role in Treaty-making and wrote her first book on the UN Women’s Convention after working at the ILO in Geneva on Women’s and Indigenous People’s rights. She was and is inaugural Chair of Global Women, New Zealand Asian Leaders, and Superdiverse Women.

Dr Kenneth Clark is the Chief Medical Officer of MidCentral District Health Board in New Zealand and is also a specialist Gynaecologist. Dr Clark has been the Chair of the New Zealand Chief Medical Officers Group for the last eight years. He has been a member of the New Zealand Medical Training Board and he is currently the chair of the New Zealand Medical Workforce Governance Group. He is a past president of the Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. He lives and works in Palmerston North and when he can runs, swims, cycles and gardens!

Barry Coates has an undergraduate degree in economics and a Masters in Management from Yale University, and has been as a managing consultant on corporate and public sector strategy. He has been involved in trade agreements since the early 1990s, before signing of the Uruguay Round and establishment of the WTO. While based in the UK, Barry led campaigns on the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI), investment rules in the WTO, and GATS (General Agreement in Trade in Services). He was also Chair of the UK Trade Justice Movement and a founder of the Ethical Trade Initiative.

Barry was CEO of Oxfam New Zealand 2003-14, and a member of the Trade Advisory Board under Minister Phil Goff. He represented Oxfam’s global ‘Make Trade Fair’ campaign at Ministerial meetings, and supported Pacific Islands governments and civil society in trade negotiations, including PACER Plus. In 2015-16, he coordinated ‘It’s Our Future’ - the New Zealand campaign against the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPPA). Barry has been a Board member of fair trade in the UK and a founding Board member of fair trade in Australia and New Zealand. He was recently a Green Party MP in 2016-17, and held the portfolios for Trade and Investment and Commerce. Barry Coates is currently establishing Mindful Money, a new charity to promote responsible investment.

Vic is currently Chief Executive of Callaghan Innovation. She has significant executive and governance experience in communications, technology and innovation. Her experience spans from start-ups to mature products across consumer, small business and enterprise sectors.

She is a passionate kiwi and a member of NZ Global Women. She has strong customer focus, and a track record of leading and implementing strategy, and building organisational culture. Vic was previously the Managing Director of Xero, NZ and New Markets, following executive roles at Chorus and Telecom New Zealand.

She has been an Independent Director on the Boards of a number of companies and organisations in the technology sector, including Contact Energy, RedShield, Figure.NZ, Creative HQ and the Hi-Tech Trust.

As the CEO of Fairtrade Australia & New Zealand, Molly Harriss Olson leads a dynamic team strengthening Fairtrade supply chains, growing revenue and bolstering environmental and economic sustainability practices throughout the Asia Pacific region.

Recognised for her three decades of leadership in sustainable development, Molly has convened, driven and contributed to numerous boards, business leadership and sustainability initiatives. She speaks widely to senior business, government and civic leadership groups, sharing her expertise in sustainability, economic redesign, green building innovation, fair trade and development issues.

Among Molly's achievements, in 1995 - at the age of 35, Molly was selected as a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Leaders for Tomorrow, a list of recognised influencers in the world community. She was named a ‘Woman to Watch into 2000’ by Business Class magazine and in 2014 she won the Australian Financial Review and Westpac 100 Women of Influence Award, recognised in the ‘global influence’ category for her contribution to international development and sustainability.

Sam Huggard was elected Secretary of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi in 2014. He brought to the role 15 years of involvement in campaigns and advocacy work across trade unions, the community sector and students’ associations, most recently at FIRST Union (2009-2014). He also lectured part time for six years on Unitec’s Graduate Diploma in Not-For-Profit Management.

Sam’s role at the NZCTU weaves together and drives many of the strands of NZCTU priority areas such as union growth, just transition/climate change and the current campaign to strengthen rights at work. He is the organisation’s spokesperson on trade and international commerce agreements.

Lain Jager is best known for his time with the hugely successful kiwifruit marketer Zespri where he was CEO from 2008 to 2017. During his tenure as CEO Zespri grew strongly through the impact and recovery from the bacterial vine disease Psa, grower returns doubled, and the share price grew from $1.00 to $8.00.

Today, Lain is involved in a range of investment projects in Tourism and Agribusiness, serves as a Director on several Boards, acts as a strategic advisor to a small number of companies, and is Chairman of the Primary Sector Council.

Malcolm has been the Chief Executive of Christchurch International Airport since January 2014. He serves on the Board of Lyttelton Port Company and has also served on the Board of the Tourism Industry Association, was Deputy Chair of Tourism New Zealand for seven years, has other governance experience and has experience as a business mentor for start-ups in the technology sector.

Christchurch Airport has an estimated market value of circa $2 billion, passenger numbers of circa 7m p.a. and handles 85% all South Island parcel air freight volumes.

Amokura Kawharu, Ngati Whatua, Ngapuhi (BA, LLB Hons Auckland, LLM Cambridge) is Associate Professor at the Auckland University Law Faculty, which she joined in 2005 after working for several years in law firms in Auckland and Sydney. Her research interests include arbitration, international trade and investment law, and international dispute resolution.

She has published many articles in these fields, and is a frequent speaker at international law and dispute resolution events in New Zealand and overseas. Amokura was appointed by the Waitangi Tribunal in 2016 as its independent expert for the Tribunal’s inquiry into the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement. As the leading academic in New Zealand writing on arbitration law, she contributes regular reviews on dispute settlement for the New Zealand Law Review and co-authored the principal text on New Zealand arbitration law with Sir David Williams QC, Williams & Kawharu on Arbitration (recently published in its second edition, LexisNexis, 2017). Amokura is an active member of the Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law and a Fellow of the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand.

Raf is a two term Christchurch City Councillor. As Chair of the Finance Committee, his main focus has been the Council's financial position, as well as its post-earthquake strategic direction and risk management. He has also been involved in Local Government working groups on Funding, Risk and Localism.

Raf spent 11 years trading global markets for investment banks in London. In 2002, he moved to New Zealand and has since been actively involved in governance and social enterprise. He has degrees in Economics and Political Science, and a Masters in International Law and Politics from the University of Canterbury.

He has spent many years examining the friction between the public and private space, and is especially interested in the reform of our monetary, welfare and tax systems, as well our political and constitutional arrangements.

Hone has extensive experience in executive management and corporate governance, which spans the public, private and volunteer sector. Hone has led large and complex organisations as the National Director of UNESCO-UNEVOC (NZ), Chief Executive of PINZ Ltd (International Export Services) for 15 years, and Chief Executive of the Forest and Bird Society, from 2013 to 2016. Over the course of his career, Hone has held roles within the Ministry of Defence, NZ Treasury, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Asian Development Bank.

Working extensively across the Pacific, Asia, South Asia and Middle East/GCC markets, Hone has built long-term relationships to drive the delivery of export services and social infrastructure development. Hone’s commitment to the growth and development of Aotearoa/New Zealand is demonstrated by his current appointment as the Executive Council Board Member for the Federation of Māori Authorities, a Board Member on Our Land & Water National Science Challenge and Director for the Volunteer Service Aboard.

As a long-serving Board Member for Wakatū Incorporation, Hone represents the Wakatū Board as a Director of its export food and beverage business, Kono NZ LP, and as a member of its Audit and Risk and HR Committees. Of Te Whānau-a-Apanui, Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Kere, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Rārua, Rangitane and Ngāti Kuia descent, Hone has a Masters in Education (with Distinction) and lives in Wellington.

Katie Milne is the first Federated Farmers female national president in the organisation’s 118-year history. As much at home on the family dairy farmer as in the boardroom of Westland Milk, a commentator recently said of Katie that her down-to-earth manner and empathy means she can talk as easily to the Prime Minister as any farmer. The commentator said some decisions she is handed are not always the ideal outcome for the farming sector but she comes up with positive ways for helping farmers get on board or if needed she pushes for a change.

Josie Pagani is the Executive Director of the Council for International Development, the umbrella organisations for New Zealand’s international aid and development NGOs. She is also involved in Global Progress, an international progressive policy think tank, and is a regular media commentator on current affairs on TVNZ’s Q&A politics programme, Newstalk ZB, Radio Live and Radio New Zealand. Josie has worked as a political advisor to governments, to Prime Ministers and ministers. She has high-level experience in the aid and development sector, including at the OECD Development Assistance Committee in Paris, and as the first communications manager at NZAID at 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.

Caren is a proud Cook Islander, who chose a career as a professional Board director, because she wanted to ensure that a Cook Islands voice is heard at decision-making tables here in New Zealand and in the Cook Islands. She has utilised her skills and experience in accounting, auditing, strategic planning and facilitation over a 16 year governance career on boards in the arts, broadcasting, health, business development and education sectors, in New Zealand and Rarotonga.

Caren was made a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand in 2015. Caren’s service to governance and leadership has been recognised with the awarding of a 2016 New Zealander of the Year Local Hero Award and the Linden Estate Hawke’s Bay Business Leader of the Year 2018. In 2018 she was conferred with an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to governance and the Pacific community.

Gary has extensive experience in corporate governance, having been the Chairman of the Auckland Area Health Board, the Climate Change and Business Centre (Australia) and the Peoples Centre Health Trust. He has been a director of Watercare Services Ltd, Infrastructure Auckland, the Queen Elizabeth National Trust, the Auckland Regional Transport Authority and the Hobsonville Land Company. He has also been a city and regional councillor. Gary is an experienced environmental policy analyst and consultant and is currently Executive Director of the Environmental Defence Society.

Simon Tucker is Director of Global Stakeholder Affairs at Fonterra. In this role he leads teams responsible for Fonterra’s global trade strategy, the company’s relationships with the New Zealand and foreign governments, and Fonterra’s industry partners. Simon has spent over ten years in the New Zealand dairy industry including in leadership roles at DairyNZ, the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand and with Fonterra Co-operative Group’s US-based business.

Simon has also spent considerable time working for the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He was the Ministry’s Assistant Secretary based in Auckland, and served as New Zealand High Commissioner to Canada and was concurrently High Commissioner to Jamaica. Earlier diplomatic assignments included postings as Counsellor and head of the trade team at the New Zealand Embassy in Washington DC and three years at the NZ Embassy in Tehran. He also spent several years working in Parliament as adviser to the Minister for Trade.

A proud South Islander, Simon now resides in Auckland. He is married to Penny Tucker and they have 3 children.

I have been in the Scrap Metal Industry my whole life in one form or another. My experience ranges from the small scrap yard through to managing large corporates both here and in Australia. I consider myself competent in logistics / documentary credits/risk protection/ contract negotiations/ and settlement procedures.

Since forming Global Metal Solutions in 2011, I have been focussed on growing and developing a sustainable recycling business that now employs a team of 40 in Hamilton and New Plymouth. My Maori heritage contributes to my strong family bonds and I am passionate about fostering a team culture throughout all facets of the GMS business, that is supportive and family oriented. I believe this focus has contributed strongly to the growth trajectory we are now experiencing. I am a father of five children whom work in various roles within the company, and also a grandfather of five.

I consider myself to be at the coalface of international trade and have developed strong customer and trader alliances internationally, which has seen the significant increase in the demand for our exported product. I travel to see my clients regularly to ensure that we thoroughly understand their product requirements. We pack and export from a number of ports throughout NZ, to most metal markets around the world. We also import and trans-ship a wide range of products from around the Pacific.

I have developed a comprehensive understanding of banks responsibilities to clients, due to some complex issues encountered over the years in interesting countries with diverse cultures and issues. This helps GMS shape our contracts to meet specific client and country requirements.

I consider myself to be leading a service provider to the recycling industry, and will look at any project given the opportunity/scope /support and skills to complete.

Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Kahungunu

Since becoming CEO of NZ Māori Tourism Pania has focused on highlighting the unique opportunity that a Māori experience offers manuhiri (visitors) domestically and internationally.

Having grown up in business with her parents in the Hawke’s Bay and then owning businesses, Pania understands intimately both the pains and passion of a 24-hour personal and financial commitment. Fast forward to the mid 90’s she moved on to local and central government where she gained an appreciation of the important role that policy plays in our everyday lives.

Pania has used all that she has learned over the years (and continues to learn) to position NZ Māori Tourism as a key contributor, participant and influencer within the tourism industry today.

Married to Evan (Te Roroa), between them they have 8 children and live in Wellington splitting their downtime between Mahia and Northland.

Leeann is the Chief Executive of the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce (The Chamber), the largest and most progressive membership business support agency in the South Island with approximately 2,900 members. Leeann is a strong voice for Canterbury business, and works with the Board of The Chamber to develop and deliver its strategic direction.

Leeann led the restructuring of The Chamber to respond to the changing business environment post-earthquakes, and regularly reviews core services to ensure they continue to meet members’ needs. More recently she led the rebuild project for the new Chamber offices in Kilmore Street and is working on the future direction of The Chamber as part of a five-year project.

Leeann is a Government appointee to the Small Business Council, is a Director of the Westpac Champion Business Awards which recognise business excellence, a Director of Canterbury Regional Business Partners Ltd, Chair of the Board of Trustees at Christchurch Boys High School and a Board member of the Canterbury Cricket Association. Leeann interfaces with the business community at all levels and across all sectors and has many years’ experience in working in partnership with both Local and Central Government.

Michael Whitehead is a New Zealand Prime Minister’s Business Scholarship winner, a category winner in the New Zealand EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, recognised as a transformative and technology leader in New Zealand by CIO100, has judged the New Zealand International Business Awards, and is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand.

He co-founded and grew an international software company (wherescape.com) and a data and analytics consulting company (nowconsulting.co.nz). While CEO of WhereScape the company won numerous export awards including the Judge’s Supreme Award for International Business at the 2016 New Zealand International Business Awards.

Michael has also founded Tap In Ventures, a business advisory company that assists export focused high growth companies to scale and expand.