19-E-0795
DOC-6154549
12 December 2019
John Luke
[FYI request #11648 email]
Dear Mr Luke
Thank you for your Official Information Act request to the Department of
Conservation, dated 14 November 2019. You requested the following information
related to the Aotea Conservation Park Advisory Committee (“ACPAC”) (wording
slightly amended for clarity):
1. The conflicts of interest declaration made by each member from 2017 to
date.
2. The meeting agendas and minutes from 2018 to date.
3. Has an election for the Chair and Deputy Chair been held and who was
elected?
4. A bio for each member.
By way of context for my response the ACPAC was established in 2016 for the
purpose of providing advice to the Department of Conservation about the
management of the Aotea Conservation Park, located on Aotea/Great Barrier Island.
The ACPAC is serviced by the Department.
The Department acknowledges that the website page about the ACPAC has not been
fully up to date, which is partly due to recent staffing changes that have led to delays.
The Department is taking steps to ensure that the website information is updated and
maintained more regularly.
Your questions and our responses are set out below:
1. The conflicts of interest declaration made by each member from 2017 to date.
No member of the ACPAC has submitted a conflicts of interest declaration for any
meeting between 2017 to the present. The minutes of each meeting record when
members have made a conflicts of interest declaration, and none have been
submitted during this time period.
Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai
Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland Office
Private Bag 68908, Wellesley St., Auckland 1141
www.doc.govt.nz
2
I therefore regret that I am not able to provide you with the information you seek
as the information does not exist (section 18(e) Official information Act 1982
refers).
2. The meeting agendas and minutes from 2018 to date.
In response to your request the Department has since uploaded all the agendas
and minutes for all ACPAC meetings held to date. Please see the information
available via the link on this webpage:
https://www.doc.govt.nz/about-
us/statutory-and-advisory-bodies/aotea-conservation-park-advisory-committee/
I therefore regret that I am not able to provide you with the information you seek
as the information is now publicly available (section 18(d) Official information
Act 1982 refers).
3. Has an election for the Chair and Deputy Chair been held and who was elected?
The Minister of Conservation made appointments for the second term of the
ACPAC in mid-2019. The ACPAC held the first meeting of its second term on 7
October 2019. At that meeting elections for the Chair and Deputy Chair were held.
Ms Nicola Macdonald was elected Chair and Ms Kate Waterhouse was elected
Deputy Chair.
4. A bio for each member.
In your request you identified that short biographical details for each member
were not available on the Department’s website. Your suggestion that short bios
be available on the website is being considered by the Department.
A short summary of biographical details for each ACPAC member is set out below.
Nicola Macdonald. She is of Ngāti Rehua and Ngāti Wai descent. She is the
former Chair of the Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea Trust, and is a current
member of the Hauraki Gulf Forum, the Auckland Conservation Board and
the Māori Women’s Welfare League. She has experience in leading
environmental programmes such as the Restore Rakitū and Bring Back
Kōkako projects.
Judy Gilbert. She is the founder and manager of the Windy Hill sanctuary,
and a founder of the Great Barrier Environmental Trust. She has been a
former member of the Great Barrier Local Board and the Auckland
Conservation Board.
Kate Waterhouse. She is an experienced business and conservation leader.
She is a management consultant with business strategy and change
experience across local government, the public sector and in service industries
in New Zealand and globally. She advocates for biodiversity and chairs the
Aotea Great Barrier Environmental Trust.
Kenneth Fortzer. He is a former trustee of both marae on the island, Kawa
and Motairehe, and has worked on the Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea Trust
led “Bring Back Kōkakō” project. He formerly worked for the New Zealand
Forest Service on Great Barrier, and had owner operated commercial fishing
and aquaculture businesses on Aotea.
3
Hope Munro. She is a kuia of Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea. She is a
retired schoolteacher and a current member of the Great Barrier Community
Health Trust which provides community health and social services on the
island.
Michael Ngatai. He is a team manager working for Auckland Council in the
delivery of conservation work, which is a key partner agency. He formerly
worked for Manukau City Council’s parks department. He is affiliated to Ngāti
Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea.
Lewis (Opo) Ngawaka. He is a kaumatua of Kawa marae, one of two
marae on the island. He is a former trustee of the Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki
Aotea Trust and a current member of the Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai taumata
group.
Jason Wii. He is an owner of a small business and is an active member of
Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea. He is a trustee of the Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki
Aotea Trust.
Dr Jacqueline Beggs. She is a professor of conservation biology at the
University of Auckland with a substantive history of published research. She
is Chair of the Kākāpō Recovery Group, and a member of the IUCN Invasive
Species Specialist Group and the Hauturu/Little Barrier Science Advisory
Panel. She has been a former Chair of the Auckland Conservation Board and a
former member of the Biosecurity Ministerial Advisory Committee.
Taryn Wilks. She is a consultant environmental scientist based on the
island. She has advised on water issues in both Canterbury and Western
Australia and is a member of both the Royal Society of New Zealand and the
Freshwater Sciences Society. She has been a Waicare ambassador for
Auckland Council.
You are entitled to seek an investigation and review of my decisions by writing to an
Ombudsman as provided by section 28(3) of the Official Information Act.
If you wish to discuss this with the Department, please contact George Taylor,
Operations Manager Aotea/Great Barrier on 027 553 3954 or by email
[email address].
Yours sincerely,
Andrew Baucke
Director Operations, Auckland
