Our speakers

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.

Reuben is a director in the Digital & Data Transformation advisory practice. He brings experience in delivering advanced AI and agentic solutions, transforming organisations AI experiments to tangible value

He has worked across many public and private sector organisation to drive automation and AI change. His work involves helping organisations advance their process maturity, and leading the cloud engineering practice for AI application delivery. 

Richard Catherall is a strategy advisor working with boards, CEOs, and public sector leaders in complex systems under pressure, where direction is not always clear and decisions carry long-term consequences. 

His career developed through early exposure to leadership at points of significant change. By his late 20s, he had co-chaired national cross-sector policy groups, led a social enterprise through turnaround, supported mergers, and advised over 100 chief executives across government and industry. He was recognised for pioneering practical models of system collaboration and market-shaping, with approaches that were adopted and replicated across England.  

He has since worked internationally across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa including in post-conflict and fragile state environments. His work spans governance, development systems, and innovation ecosystems – often at the intersection of public, private, and philanthropic sectors.  

Alongside initiatives that progressed to funding and scale, his experience includes complex opportunities that did not proceed – shaping his focus on timing, posture, and the conditions for change. In several cases, the underlying models proved more durable that the programmes themselves, contributing to the resilience of wider systems. This has informed his emphasis on second- and third-order impact, and a leadership approach focused on “finger prints rather than footprints” – the cumulative effect of well-placed interventions.  

His leadership philosophy – recalibrate, don’t retreat – supporting leaders to maintain direction under pressure, while adapting how progress is achieved.  

Robyn Broadhurst is a Corporate Planning Specialist with experience supporting strategic planning, performance frameworks, and community-focused initiatives. She leads key processes and works closely with organisational leaders to align long-term plans with community outcomes and statutory requirements. Robyn brings a pragmatic, collaborative approach to planning processes and is passionate about creating clear, accessible plans that reflect local priorities.

Ruth is Principal Advisor, System Oversight at the Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport (MCERT). She brings broad experience across policy, implementation, facilitation and stakeholder engagement, with a particular strength in connecting system-level thinking with practical delivery. Ruth’s background includes advisory and leadership roles across local and central government, including policy, digital government and public-sector innovation. She holds a PhD in policy implementation from the University of Canterbury and enjoys bringing policy and practice together to support effective systems.

Ryan is an Associate in Beca’s Digital Consulting team, specialising in the design and delivery of data-driven solutions that help clients make better decisions. Working at the intersection of technology, data and business outcomes, Ryan helps organisations transform complex information into practical tools that support planning, operations and customer service improvements. He has been closely involved in developing and implementing digital twin and regional intelligence solutions for local government clients across New Zealand.

Sally Grey is Manager Premium Building Consents at Auckland Council. Sally initially practised as a lawyer and came to Building Consents via the Council’s legal team where she managed building defect claims for many years. She has seen many instances where buildings have not performed and is committed to championing the built environment to be more durable.

Sally has served on a range of committees including two terms on the Building Advisory Panel, a statutory panel reporting to MBIE and the Taituara Regulation and By-laws Reference Group. She was most recently seconded to MBIE for 9 months to support the review into liability settings in the construction sector.   

Sandy has been working in the local government sector for over 30 years.
During that time she has worked in a number of roles within the finance areas of three different district councils throughout the Canterbury region. In 2021 she did a full circle so to speak returning back to her first council (Mackenzie).
Sandy enjoys the varied environment of local government – no one day is the same. She enjoys the challenge and opportunities that the sector brings with its ever-changing goal posts. She is particularly interested in making rating more fair and equitable to ratepayers, whether by reviewing rates and how and who they are charged to or by helping finding alternative revenue processes and cost efficiencies.

Sara leads the implementation of the new planning and environmental management system.   She has deep experience working closely with local government in the implementation of government reforms. Sara has worked in the areas  of environmental law, policy, sustainability, relationship management, project management, government administration and implementation.   Her background includes technical experience in resource management, and climate change. She practiced as a lawyer and worked as a sustainability consultant before joining the New Zealand government in 2010.  

Sarah is a technology leader and solution architect with more than 25 years’ experience delivering digital products and software solutions. She specialises in bridging business needs and technology delivery, helping organisations turn complex requirements into practical, scalable systems. Sarah’s experience spans software architecture, product development, user experience design and technology strategy, with a background that includes software engineering, startup growth advisory and teaching information systems and software development at the University of Auckland. She currently leads technology development for one of Beca’s digital products, while continuing to focus on delivering effective solutions that create value for clients and end users.

Sarah Matthews is General Manager Organisation Performance at Taupō District Council, leading portfolios spanning finance, legal and governance, digital solutions, property and development, and business excellence. A Chartered Accountant and Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors, Sarah has led funding and rating functions across three councils and is an active contributor to the sector through the Taituarā Financial Management Reference Group. She previously served as a Future Director of LGFA and is currently completing a Master of Applied Artificial Intelligence, with a particular interest in governance, innovation, and the future of local government

Sarah McGuinness is the Founder of Revolutionaries of Wellbeing (ROW) and a specialist in sustainable performance, burnout prevention, and leadership. With more than two decades of experience advising organisations across New Zealand, Australia, and internationally, she works with senior leaders to navigate pressure, constant change, and the realities of modern work while maintaining the wellbeing and performance of their people.

Her work has supported organisations across multiple sectors during periods of significant change and demand, including the Christchurch earthquakes. She is currently completing a Master of Science (Psychology) at Massey University, with research exploring how senior doctors recover from burnout while continuing to work, and a Postgrad Certificate in Human Performance Leadership (AUT).

She holds an honours degree in psychology and a degree in communication, along with specialist training in professional coaching, adult education, and fitness. She also brings lived experience of burnout and is a strong advocate for improving conversations around mental health. She volunteers with Coastguard New Zealand in search and rescue and serves on the Coastguard Queenstown board, and has been featured in media including Stuff, NBR, RNZ, and Seven Sharp.

Sarah Scott is a specialist environmental lawyer based in Christchurch with extensive experience working with councils and private clients around New Zealand on policy development, resource consents and permits, and development projects.

Through her career Sarah has worked with a number of infrastructure clients, from ensuring consenting pathways remain available, to project strategy and obtaining consents and designations. Sarah has also been significantly involved in some of New Zealand’s biggest policy processes, including those located in Christchurch (following the earthquakes), Queenstown and Otago.

Sarah is the Finance and Revenue Manager at Tararua District Council. A Chartered Accountant, she brings over a decade of experience in local government across diverse accounting roles, complemented by a background in private practice. She plays a key role in long-term planning and reporting, with a strong focus on delivering practical, achievable outcomes for the community. Sarah is passionate about community voice, future-focused planning and robust performance frameworks. She sees the Long Term Plan as a clear promise to the community and is driven to ensure it is both credible and deliverable. Collaborative and pragmatic, Sarah is committed to helping shape a sustainable future for Tararua.

Scott Summerfield (Tangata Tiriti) is Kaiarataki at Hononga Consulting. He is an unashamed fan of the impact and potential of local government, with over a decade of experience working across a wide range of councils across the motu. Scott acknowledges the humble and dedicated efforts of kaimahi across the sector on behalf of their communities to address the current significant challenges for local government.  

Hononga Consulting partners with Taituarā and directly with many councils across Aotearoa to improve organisational Te Tiriti o Waitangi responsiveness in local government, and the Te Tiriti practice of local government kaimahi. He lives in eastern Wairarapa.