Hon Brooke van Velden
Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says three appointments to the WorkSafe board have been made to strengthen the organisation, ensuring it has the skills and expertise it needs to carry out its functions.

“WorkSafe has faced a number of recent challenges, including accumulating an almost $18 million deficit under the previous government,” says Ms van Velden.

An independent review by SageBush in 2022 found WorkSafe did not have a clear framework or the tools to assess the value of its activities or guide resource allocation decisions. Further, WorkSafe was not able to describe how its regulatory activities contribute to the achievement of its outcomes.

“The historical issues with WorkSafe were brought to my attention in my very first briefing as an incoming Minister. Since then, I have worked with the Board’s Chair, Chief Executive, and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment as Crown Monitor to understand WorkSafe’s needs and path forward.

“It is clear to me that the Board could benefit from strong financial acumen, and I am pleased that these new board members bring a wealth of governance and financial management experience to ensure WorkSafe is effectively performing its core role,” says Ms van Velden.

The three new appointments are for a three-year term filling vacant positions.

“Elena Trout is an experienced independent director and chair and the current independent Chair of WorkSafe New Zealand’s Audit, Risk and Finance Committee. She has a wealth of governance experience and brings a strong knowledge of public accountability to the board.

Kevin Jenkins is a finance, governance, and risk professional with a strong background in the public and private sectors and deep experience in regulation and public sector governance.

Paul Connell is a finance and governance professional working across a wide range of sectors with extensive knowledge of public accountability, finance and governance practices.

“I am confident that these appointments will support the organisation to build on the progress that has been made to ensure the entity’s financial sustainability and to address the findings of SageBush review.

“Ensuring WorkSafe is sustainable and is delivering its core functions is a priority for me, and I will be holding WorkSafe accountable.

“I have recently announced a wider health and safety consultation, which includes receiving feedback on the public’s experiences with WorkSafe. I want to know whether those who work within the system find their interactions with WorkSafe useful, reasonable, and timely because having an effective regulator is a key part of the health and safety system.”

Notes:

• Elena Trout is an experienced independent director and chair across both private and public sectors. She is the current independent Chair of WorkSafe New Zealand’s Audit, Risk and Finance Committee, appointed in mid-2023. Ms Trout is a current independent director for CityCare Limited, Chair of the Health and Safety Committee for Spencer Henshaw, Chair of the Audit Committee and Deputy Chair of Te Rāhui Herenga Waka Whakatāne, member of the Callaghan Innovation Board and Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee for Ara Ake Ltd. Ms Trout has a wealth of governance experience across a range of industries, strong knowledge of public accountability and experience in audit and risk.
• Kevin Jenkins is a finance, governance, and risk professional with extensive experience in the public and private sectors. He is a current member of the Ministry of Health Risk and Assurance Committee, the independent Chair of the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand, a member of the Aerospace Auckland Board, and a member of the Ministry of Defence Risk and Assurance Committee among his other roles. Mr Jenkins has deep experience in audit and risk, regulatory spaces, public accountability, and public sector governance.
• Paul Connell is a finance and governance professional with extensive experience across a wide range of sectors. He is the current Chair of the Auckland Council Audit and Risk Committee, a member of the Waikato Regional Council Risk and Audit Committee, a director of the Environmental Protection Agency and Chair of its Audit and Risk committee. Mr Connell is the current Chair of Telarc Limited, New Zealand’s largest certifier of quality, environmental and health and safety systems and the former Chair of the Accreditation Council and current Deputy Chair. He has extensive and deep knowledge of public accountability, finance, and governance practices.

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