Our organisation

Fergus is a former chief executive of Auckland Regional Transport Authority, chief operating officer of Auckland Transport, and both deputy director general transport services and deputy secretary infrastructure and services at Transport for New South Wales with the same organisation.

In this latter capacity, he was responsible for leading a team of 1450 staff, managing an annual operating budget of AUS$5 billion and infrastructure and systems projects totalling AUS$11 billion (over four years).

Jenny started her current role on 30 June 2014. Previously, she was regional director central, a position she held since joining the Transport Agency in 2008.

Jenny has previously been manager of environmental strategy for Transpower and held policy and planning roles with the Porirua and Hutt City Councils, the Ministry for the Environment and Boffa Miskell, an environmental planning consultancy.

Howard joined the Transport Agency in June 2017. Formerly he was group manager Asset Management and Finance for the Education Infrastructure Service, which is part of the Ministry of Education. Howard was also chief financial officer for Transpower New Zealand, which operates the national high-voltage transmission grid.

Prior to moving to New Zealand from the United Kingdom, Howard spent six years in a variety of investment banking roles, principally as an equities analyst. His early career was spent with the Royal Dutch Shell Group as a petroleum engineer working in the exploration and production sectors of the oil and gas industry.

Howard has an undergraduate degree in mathematics and a Master of Business Administration (with distinction) from London Business School.

Tommy has been with the Transport Agency since 2008 and was with Transit NZ for four years before that. He has held various roles, including highways manager for Auckland and Northland. He has a Bachelor of Arts (hons) in urban planning and a Diploma in urban planning implementation from the University of Westminster and a Master of Science in transportation planning and engineering from the University of Salford.

Tommy has over 20 years’ experience in transport planning in both the public sector and private consultancy.

Charles joined the Transport Agency in May 2017 having previously worked for a number of government departments over 16 years. Charles has significant experience in customer-centred service delivery and design, together with leading large customer facing teams of up to 2200 people in both the public and private sectors.

Raewyn joined the Transport Agency in October 2014 after two years as the chief executive of Business Central and Wellington Employers’ Chamber of Commerce. From 2008 until 2012, she was chief executive of the Bus and Coach Association and Rental Vehicle Association. Before that, she was national operations manager for the Hospitality Association of New Zealand.

Raewyn has a strong background in leading and managing employer-membership organisations as well as a valuable working knowledge of the transport sector and the broader business community throughout the central region. She brings to the Transport Agency significant commercial sector and operational management experience along with extensive stakeholder management experience.

Raewyn has a bachelor’s degree majoring in human nutrition and a postgraduate Diploma of Science from the University of Otago.

Barbara Harrison joined the Transport Agency in August 2016 after working for Northpower for 11 years. Barbara has significant human resources, safety and management experience, bringing with her extensive experience in leading people and capability teams.

Barbara’s career spans leadership roles in infrastructure and industrial environments in New Zealand and Australia. Barbara graduated from Wharton Business School’s Advanced Management Program in 2014.

Since July 2016, Martin has led the Transport Agency’s approach to innovation and new technology. He is passionate about using data to provide smart solutions that connect people, services and infrastructure.

Martin joined the Transport Agency in 2014 as Zero Harm manager. Working with industry partners, Martin led the introduction of new technology and data analytics to support the government’s objective to reduce workplace fatalities and serious harm by 25 percent.

Martin has more than 15 years’ experience in the engineering and construction industry.

He has also established two technology start-up businesses.

He sits on the Construction Safety Council Board of Directors and holds an executive role with the Australian Driverless Vehicle Initiative. Martin is also a registered member of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand.

Robert has been with the Transport Agency since 2009, recently serving as acting group manager Planning and Investment. Previously, he held a variety of roles at the Waikato Regional Council, including three years as group manager Policy and Strategy.

He has worked in a wide variety of fields from waste and contaminated land management, to spatial planning and environmental policy development. He has also held a variety of governance roles for not-for-profit trusts such as the Agrecovery Foundation, the Product Stewardship Foundation and the Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust.

Robert is an experienced public-sector manager with a particular focus on leading collaborative processes at the interface between business, communities and public sector agencies.

Since July 2016, Harry has led road safety for the Transport Agency as road safety director. He is passionate about improving road safety outcomes by working closely with partners to achieve integrated, focused and aligned efforts
that deliver positive results for people in New Zealand.

Harry joined the Transport Agency in 2008 as regional director for the Waikato and Bay of Plenty. He has been the main contact with local government and other stakeholders and partners in promoting regional alignment with strategies, plans and government transport policy direction. He was also the Transport Agency’s first freight portfolio director, ensuring freight initiatives were integrated and coordinated.

Harry was chief executive of Environment Waikato (now Waikato Regional Council) and held management roles with the former Child, Youth and Family Services, Department of Social Welfare and IHC.

Leigh joined the Transport Agency in 2012, working in Access and Use to improve the services that enable customers to use the transport system safely and effectively. A key focus for Leigh has been partnering with the Ministry of Transport on legislative improvements that support industry productivity and enable the adoption of more customer-centric transport services.

Leigh has extensive experience developing, implementing and administering international, national and local government policy and has worked across a range of disciplines including transport, fisheries, heritage, information and environment.

Leigh is passionate about designing systems and services that work for real people. Her motto is that all work is about people – their aspirations, their needs, their well-being and their impacts on others and the environment – therefore people need to be at the centre of a team’s thinking, regardless of what that team is working on.

Parekawhia has been with the Transport Agency since September 2016 after five and a half years as the chief executive officer of Waikato–Tainui/Te Whakakitenga o Waikato.

Parekawhia has more than 15 years’ public policy and public sector management experience, including being an advisor to three prime ministers during her time at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

She brings significant stakeholder management and governance experience to her role. For almost seven years, she was director of her own company dedicated to advancing the creative potential of Māori knowledge, people and resources.

Parekawhia has masters’ degrees in social sciences from the University of Waikato and in public administration and development policy from the University of Wisconsin.

In 2014, she received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Waikato. In 2016, she was a finalist in the Board and Management category for the Westpac– Fairfax Women of Influence Awards.

Jim joined the Transport Agency in February 2011 after 11 years as chief executive of Dunedin City Council. Before this he held senior roles in local government and the private sector, specialising in strategic thinking and change management. He was a tourism consultant for several years and initiated a tourism planning course at the University of Auckland. The World Health Organization has used Jim’s expertise in understanding and leading communities on several occasions to further its Healthy Cities Initiative.

He holds a master’s degree (hons) in town planning, a Diploma in town planning from the University of Auckland and a Bachelor of Arts in geography from the University of Canterbury. He is also a fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management and a member of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand and the New Zealand Planning Institute.

Recently appointed.

Recently appointed.