SPEAKERS

Hon Chris Bishop

Minister for Infrastructure

Chris Bishop is the Minister of Housing, Minister for Infrastructure, Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Minister of Transport, Leader of the House, Associate Minister of Finance and Associate Minister for Sport and Recreation. He is the MP for Hutt South.

Chris was born and raised in Lower Hutt where he lives with his wife and two children. He has a first-class Honours degree in Law and a Bachelor of Arts from Victoria University of Wellington, and was the 2006 Young Wellingtonian of the Year.

Before serving as an MP, Chris worked as a researcher for the National Party in Opposition and was later an advisor to Ministers in the John Key-led Government. Chris was the National Party Campaign Chair for the 2023 General Election and is also the 2026 Campaign Chair.

Wayne Brown

Mayor of Auckland

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is an Auckland-born and raised qualified engineer and businessman with an extensive background in infrastructure and construction. He founded Brown and Thomson Consulting Engineers, which will celebrate 50 years in 2026. He currently owns Brown Consulting and Waahi Paraone Ltd, which develops and owns commercial buildings and subdivisions.

Wayne has chaired several large public organisations, including Transpower, Vector, the Land Transport Safety Authority, Kordia, and two DHBs. As Chair of the Auckland District Health Board (2001-2007), he successfully delivered the $500 million Auckland City Hospital on time and under budget. His experience as Chair of the Upper North Island Supply Chain Study (UNISCS) will heavily influence the 30-year transport plan agreed upon with the government. He has held many other past and present leadership positions.

He is the author of the 2007 book, “The Five-Minute MBA.” In his spare time, Wayne is a keen tennis player, surfer, and boatie, and he is passionate about the marine environment.

Murray Burt

Chief Infrastructure Officer, Auckland Airport

Murray is responsible for leading the largest infrastructure transformation in Auckland Airport’s history, overseeing the management of critical assets and major projects central to New Zealand’s gateway airport.

Murray brings a proven track record in leading multi-billion-dollar infrastructure programmes globally and is known for his values-based leadership and ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments. Before joining Auckland Airport, he was Director of Infrastructure and Place at Auckland Transport, where he managed a $32 billion asset portfolio and led a $16 billion capital programme, including landmark projects such as the City Rail Link and Eastern Busway.

Murray’s international experience includes senior roles with the United Nations, directing reconstruction and infrastructure delivery across 60 countries. His work in post-crisis environments, including Syria and Haiti, earned him the New Zealand Government Special Service Medal.

He is recognised as a Fellow of Engineering New Zealand, and holds degrees in Civil Engineering, Environmental Management and Business Administration.

Rt Hon. Helen Clark

Former Prime Minister of New Zealand | Former Administrator of UNDP

Helen Clark was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1999–2008 and a Member of Parliament for 27 years. She advocated strongly for economic and social justice, sustainability and climate action, and for multilateralism.

Helen served two terms as Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and as Chair of the United Nations Development Group from 2009-2017. Earlier, Helen taught in the Political Studies Department of the University of Auckland, from which she had graduated with BA and MA (Hons) degrees.

Helen advocates for sustainable development, climate action, gender equality and women’s leadership, peace and justice, and action on pressing global health issues. In July 2020, she was appointed by the Director-General of the World Health Organisation as Co-Chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. She chairs the boards of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, and other public good organisations and initiatives.

Geoff Cooper

Chief Executive, New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga

Geoff Cooper is the Chief Executive of the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga. Prior to this, he’s worked at the United States Federal Reserve and is a former Chief Economist at both PwC and Auckland Council. He holds a Master of Economics with First Class Honours from the University of Auckland and a Master of Public Affairs from Princeton University.

Nadine Dodge

Director, Infrastructure Priorities and Evaluation, New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga

Nadine is Director, Infrastructure Priorities and Evaluation at the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga. At Te Waihanga, Nadine’s work seeks to improve infrastructure investment outcomes through better planning and decision-making. She also undertakes research to improve our understanding of infrastructure issues. Prior to this, she worked in the transport sector, contributing to the planning and economic appraisal of a range of transport projects, including mass transit, bus priority, cycleway, and pedestrian amenity improvement projects. Nadine holds a PhD from Victoria University of Wellington.

Andy Hagan

General Manager, Investment, New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga

Andy Hagan is General Manager, Investment, at the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga. He has a background in infrastructure policy, funding, and financing, having worked in the public sector for nearly 20 years, including as a member of the Executive Leadership Team at New Zealand Treasury. Prior to joining Te Waihanga, Andy was a Director at project advisory consultancy HKA.

Nadine Higgins

Nadine Higgins (nee Chalmers-Ross) is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster with extensive experience across television, radio, newspapers and magazines. Nadine is renowned as a fiercely intelligent, articulate and engaging MC.

Nadine is a qualified Financial Adviser and a Director of enable.me financial strategy & coaching Auckland Central. She is also a financial commentator for Today FM, doing daily commentary every evening.

Nadine's worked for some of New Zealand's top shows including Morning Report, One News, NZI Business, Seven Sharp, Breakfast, The Sunday Star Times, and currently, The Project and The AM Show.

Raveen Jaduram

Board Chair, New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga

Raveen is a dedicated infrastructure leader, with 40 years of experience in the water environment and infrastructure. He is a Fellow of Engineering New Zealand, Life Member of Water New Zealand, Life Member of Infrastructure Asset Management Professionals and chartered member of the Institute of Directors New Zealand.

Raveen is currently Chair and on the crown boards of the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga, and the Water Services Authority. He is also a director of Auckland Transport and Corde Limited. He is on the Asian Business Advisory Board of Auckland Chamber of Commerce and an independent member of the Audit & Risk Committee of Napier City Council. He is Chair and director of a number of private and family businesses in New Zealand and Fiji.

Andy Jinks

Regional Director – Midlands, National Highways, UK

Andy is a Civil Engineer and Chartered Project Professional with over 40 years’ experience in both the public and private sector, working in a variety of roles within the UK transport infrastructure industry. He works for the UK government owned company National Highways, who are responsible for managing England’s strategic road network of motorways and major A-roads. He joined in 2016 as Development & Sponsorship Director where he was the Senior Responsible Owner for the £5bn Smart Motorways enhancement programme.

His current role, as Regional Director for the Midlands, has the accountability for leading a 800 strong team who operate, maintain, renew and support the enhancement of what is the largest, busiest and politically scrutinised region in the UK.

Prior to this, he has held senior roles across multiple disciplines in the UK national rail industry as well as a 10-year spell in metro rail, managing the complex asset base of the London Underground network. During his time there, he led London Underground to transform their asset management practices which led to achieving the ISO 55000/1 standard for asset management in 2015. Alongside this he was responsible for developing a new professional approach to project sponsorship by growing corporate and individual capabilities to successfully deliver a multibillion-pound major capital enhancement and renewals programme.

He also has had extensive project delivery experience and played a significant role in the £9bn West Coast Main Line railway upgrade programme which delivered significant, long-term economic benefits by doubling passenger numbers, reducing journey times by up to 28% and increasing capacity threefold. He is the current President of the Institute of Asset Management and has been an active board member and volunteer for the last 10 years to support knowledge development, capability growth and communicating the benefits of the practice of infrastructure asset management.

Matthew Keir

Director, Data Science and Analytics, New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga

Matthew Keir is Director, Data Science and Analytics at the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga. He has a background across industry, economics and policy development, focused on providing evidence to shape advice, inform decisions, and unlock value through the application of analytics. Prior to joining Te Waihanga, Matthew held roles across the public and private infrastructure sectors, working on strategic infrastructure investment and regulation, including more than 11 years at the Electricity Authority in energy sector analytics and strategy.

At Te Waihanga, his work focuses on analytical solutions and advice to strengthen integrated long-term infrastructure planning, improve system coordination and delivery, and lift outcomes for New Zealanders, including leading the National Infrastructure Pipeline programme. He holds a PhD and a BE (First Class Honours) from the University of Canterbury.

Amelia Linzey

Group CEO, Beca

Amelia Linzey is Group CEO of Beca, the engineering and design firm founded in Auckland in 1920. Employee-owned Beca is now a team of 4,000+ people, in 25 offices with projects in 70 countries. Amelia leads Beca’s global strategy and its culture of collaboration and sustainability. Previously she was Chief Planner and Group Director Advisory. Beca has a significant role in supporting infrastructure design, delivery and management. A priority for Beca is transforming infrastructure design and delivery and the business eco-system that supports this, in particular responding to the need for adaptation and resilience, the demands of energy transition and the role of technology in how we use and manage infrastructure.

Nicky McIndoe

Partner, Dentons

Nicky is a lawyer and Partner in Dentons' Environment and Planning team, with over 25 years’ experience advising on strategic, policy and legal issues for complex infrastructure projects, environmental reform and planning matters. Her expertise spans sectors such as transportation, energy, and waste management, and during her career she has helped to obtain consents for state highways, water reservoirs, bridges, ferry terminals, transmission lines, wind farms, wastewater treatment plants, landfills, and airport upgrades. She has represented clients in council hearings, before boards of inquiry, the Environment Court and High Court, and is increasingly advising on projects being processed under the Fast-track Approvals Act.

In addition to her project work, Nicky brings deep capability in addressing the broader challenges that arise in the infrastructure and planning space, including future proofing, adaptive management, heritage regulation, and stakeholder engagement. She has supported central and local government agencies through the full lifecycle of major infrastructure initiatives and, over the past five years, has worked closely with Te Waihanga – the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission on resource management reform.

Liz Moncrieff

Chief Advocacy Officer, New Zealand Planning Institute

Liz is the Chief Advocacy Officer at the New Zealand Planning Institute, based in Wellington. She has worked in the planning/resource management policy planning space for 25 years, with a range of planning policy roles in local and central government and the private sector. Prior to her current role, Liz was General Manager of Urban and Infrastructure Policy at the Ministry for the Environment. She is looking forward to a time when we can move beyond RMA reform and into implementation of a more effective system capable of helping us address New Zealand's significant planning issues.

Peter Nunns

General Manager, Strategy, New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga

Peter Nunns is General Manager, Strategy at the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga, where he oversees the Commission's strategy, research and policy advice functions. He led development of the National Infrastructure Plan and contributed to New Zealand's first Infrastructure Strategy in 2022. An economist with experience in consultancy, local government, and central government, Peter focuses on taking a long-term view on long-lived infrastructure – ensuring decisions today serve New Zealand's future. He holds postgraduate qualifications in economics and political science from the University of Auckland.

Tanya Perrott

Principal Advisor, Policy, New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga

Tanya Perrott is Principal Advisor, Policy, at the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga. Tanya has worked as a consultant and in central and local government on urban development, infrastructure, economic development, spatial planning, local governance and funding and resource management policy. She works closely with the Ministry for the Environment, providing an infrastructure perspective into the resource management reforms.

Nicola Richardson

Director, Leadership & Capability, New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga

Nicola Richardson is Director, Leadership & Capability at the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga, where her work focuses on building highly capable, connected leaders across the infrastructure system. Her background is in leadership development, facilitation and governance across the public and private sectors in New Zealand and internationally. Before joining Te Waihanga, she held senior leadership roles at Te Kawa Mataaho, Public Service Commission, including Programme Director, Leadership Capability, where she led the discovery and business case for a Public Service Learning Academy. Nicola is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors and holds a Masters of Management Development from the University of Westminster, and a BCA and BA from Victoria University of Wellington.

Liam Wotherspoon

Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Auckland

Liam is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Auckland. His initial research was focused on geotechnical engineering, with a strong focus on the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence. As his career has progressed his research has become much more multidisciplinary, with a strong focus on identifying and coordinating research opportunities that bring together diverse teams. He currently holds leadership roles in several national research programmes that focus on the resilience of critical infrastructure across a range of natural hazards. He works closely with partners in industry and practice, and has been involved in the development of various practice guidance and standard documents.