People and Capability Forum

Chief Executive of Waikato District Council for 14 years, Gavin has extensive experience in the sector. He is a Chartered Accountant, a Chartered member of the Institute of Directors, Chair of Waikato Local Authority Shared Services (WLASS) and a steering group member of the Business Leaders Health & Safety Forum.

His interest in health and safety comes from a belief that people matter and therefore keeping people safe is of paramount importance.

Outside of work Gavin is an official on FINA’s (international Swimming Federation) list of international swimming officials and officiated at the 2016 World Short Course Championships in Canada.

Professor Karin Lasthuizen holds the Brian Picot Chair in Ethical Leadership - Aritahi at the Wellington School of Business and Government at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand).

Karin’s work provides evidence-based insights and international best practices that can improve ethical leadership in business and government across New Zealand and help mitigate the ethical risks that can lead to organisational failures. Her research and consultancy work focuses on ethical leadership and ethics management in public and private sector organisations and she specialises in methodology for research into organisational unethical behaviours, such as corruption and fraud. Karin has numerous publications in national and international journals and books, and is co-author of the newly published book ‘HUMANGOOD. A field guide to ethical leadership’ (2021) and the Routledge Masters in Public Management textbook ‘Ethics and Management in the Public Sector’ (2013).

She offers specialised training and consultancy, and a free online course (MOOC) ‘Ethical Leadership in a Changing World’ via the EdX platform to professionals and students worldwide. Karin recently received a research grant to lead a team that will investigate political integrity and release an annual Political Integrity Index for New Zealand in the coming years.

Karin is a founder of the international academic research network on Public and Political Leadership (www. pupolnetwork.com)) and she is the NZ National Partner for the global Ethics at Work Employee Survey of the UK Institute of Business Ethics. In recent years she has also chaired the Ethics Committee of Transparency International New Zealand.

Karin studied Political Science at the Radboud University of Nijmegen (the Netherlands). In 2001 she joined the VU University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, where she obtained her PhD in Social Sciences in 2008 with the dissertation Leading to Integrity on leadership and integrity violations within the police. In 2011 Karin was awarded the VU/FSW Jenny Gierveld Fellowship for talented female scholars. Before she moved to Wellington in 2016, Karin also worked part time as a City Councillor for the Dutch Labour party (PvdA) in her home city Arnhem.

I have been married for 42 years and have 4 kids and 5 granddaughters who I love to pieces.

Grew up mostly in Palmerston North in Highbury attending Takaro, Monrad and Palmerston North BHS. Then joined the National Bank in Palmy straight out of high school in December 1977.

I had spent 40 years with the Bank being shifted all around NZ and held senior executive roles with the Bank which was taken over by the ANZ (the bank was my second whanau, and I loved every day of my job). My last role was GM ANZ Business Bank/ Retail and was a part of the biggest financial merger creating the biggest Bank in New Zealand.

I should have retired but wanted to help my people progress so undertook a role as Director for Māori and Pacific with MSD which I had the opportunity with working with some fantastic people.

After three years the role of CEO, Civic Financial Services Ltd was put in front of me and it just felt the right fit.

Sports crazy I represented my country in both Football and Softball in age group and had the honour of coaching the best domestic football team in NZ called Napier City Rovers. ( Liverpool supporter)

Kath is a highly experienced local government leader and manager, with 25 years’ experience in local and central government, including regional (Northland), city (Wellington) and district (Masterton and Far North) councils, the Environment Agency (England and Wales) and a stint at LGNZ. She is a passionate, dedicated public servant that has led teams covering the full range of local government responsibilities, including: strategic and district planning and policy; finance, risk, infrastructure and asset management; governance; communications, events and marketing; and community, social and economic development.

Kath holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and a Bachelor of Arts (History and Politics) from Victoria University of Wellington and a Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Law and Management from the University of Wales.

Bronwyn is a senior associate in the employment law group in the Wellington office. She has significant experience in all aspects of employment law with particular expertise in disciplinary and termination matters (including conducting investigations), change management processes, drafting employment agreements and policies, and health and safety.

Bronwyn regularly attends mediations and represents clients in the Employment Relations Authority, the Employment Court and District Court. Bronwyn acts for clients in the public and private sectors as well as Local Government.

David is a Director and the Chief Operating Officer of Task Exchange, a company based in Sydney that markets LG Hub. David has been with Task Exchange since 2010.

Prior to that he was the President, Asia Pacific for Burger King Corporation and the Regional Vice President, Pizza Hut International, also based in Sydney.

Prior to that David held senior Management and Marketing roles with S C Johnson and Son, initially based in Sydney and then spent the best part of 10 years based in Bangkok, Jakarta and Hong Kong.

David has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of New South Wales.