Management Team

Dr Nic Peet

Chief Executive

The role of the Chief Executive is the councillors Principal Advisor, to provide strategic leadership and ensure the Council is efficiently and effectively managed and led. Dr Nic Peet comes to us from Horizons Regional Council where he was Group Manager Strategy, Regulation and Science. He brings with him a wealth of environmental experience having previously worked with Department of Conservation (DOC) as an Area Manager in Whanganui and as a Research Associate in the United Kingdom for BirdLife International. Dr Peet earned his PhD in Ecology from the University of East Anglia in the UK.

• Nic.Peet@hbrc.govt.nz

Iain Maxwell

Integrated Catchment Management Group Manager

The Integrated Catchment Management Group is the largest Group in the Regional Council and includes environmental science, environmental information, catchment management, biodiversity and biosecurity. Integrated Catchment Management is a process, which recognises that everything that happens within a catchment is linked. The aim is to integrate the Regional Council’s activities and those of others working within the catchment to achieve overall outcomes. Iain joined the Regional Council in 2011. Iain has been working in the management of freshwater resources for over 25 years. He has worked with Nelson’s Cawthron Institute as a Senior Freshwater Ecologist, a Regional Manager with Fish and Game New Zealand and the Department of Conservation.

• iain@hbrc.govt.nz

Chris Dolley

Asset Management Group Manager

The Asset Management Group is responsible for looking after a diverse portfolio of river, drainage and coastal engineering, capital project delivery, flood scheme operations and maintenance, water security and a regional park network. Chris has more than 20 years’ experience in strategic and operational engineering management roles in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom.

• chris.dolley@hbrc.govt.nz

Katrina Brunton

Policy & Regulation Group Manager

Katrina grew up in Auckland and after graduating with a Masters and First Class Honours degree in Resources and Environmental Planning and Geography from the University of Waikato, started her career as a policy analyst at Taranaki Regional Council. She has spent over 20 years in central and local government working in policy roles with the Ministry of Transport and New Plymouth District Council, Environmental Consents Manager at the Hastings District Council and Customer and Regulatory Solutions Manager at the New Plymouth District Council. Katrina is a full member of the New Zealand Planning Institute and the Resource Management Law Association.

• katrina.brunton@hbrc.govt.nz

Role in recruitment

Te Pou Whakarae (Māori Partnerships Group Manager)

This senior executive role provides organisation-wide leadership, guidance and representation and will help staff and councillors engage more effectively with Tāngata Whenua.

Susie Young

Group Manager Corporate Services

Corporate Services play a vital role in the organisation by providing services such as finance, information technology, customer experience, communications, and services such as fleet management, and risk and assurance. I grew up on a sheep and beef farm in Kotemaori. I started my career based in Napier at Coopers and Lybrand. However I have spent the last 20 years in Wellington based in financial services. My career has spanned a large number of roles over this time primarily in finance, securitisation and funding, risk management and Internal audit, crisis management, and operational risk and compliance. I am a chartered accountant and outside of work play an active role in mentoring and facilitation for Chartered Accountants Australia and NZ for the last 10 years.

• susie.young@hbrc.govt.nz

Ian Macdonald

Group Manager/Group Controller - Hawke's Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group

Ian is proud to lead the Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group, a small team of emergency management professionals who work across the region’s five councils focusing on natural hazard risk reduction, community preparedness and operational readiness. The team works with many national agencies and local groups to achieve civil defence outcomes for Hawke's Bay. Before taking on the role of Group Controller in 2011, he held several senior planning roles at Hastings District Council and has been a member of the Army Reserve for over 30 years, currently holding the rank of Colonel. He was deployed on operations in the Middle East and is a graduate of the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff college. Ian holds a Bachelor’s degree (Honours) in Planning. Ian enjoys using his skills and experience in the uncertainties and challenges of emergency management, and coordinating across emergency services, councils, and agencies to help our communities in their time of greatest need.

• ian.macdonald@hbemergency.govt.nz

Diane Wisely

Executive Assistant to CE

Diane has been with the Regional Council since 2001 and is Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive and Chairman. Before joining Council Diane worked for three years in Australia as Registrar and Headmaster’s Secretary at Toowoomba Prep School and prior to that has worked as a Personal Assistant in Legal practices in Hawke’s Bay.

• diane@hbrc.govt.nz