Directors Appointed

Two new directors will take up a position on the board of Lakes Environmental Limited this month, Queenstown Lakes District Council Mayor Vanessa van Uden said.

The appointments have been made to replace two vacated positions. Director Tony Hill retired by rotation in March and did not seek re-election. Alan Bickers resigned.

The two new board members were director and property developer Mike Coburn and planning consultant and former Council district planner Jeffery Brown.

Council called for expressions of interest for new directors earlier in the year.

“This is a challenging environment and these two gentlemen bring important and varied skillsets and perspective,” Mayor van Uden said.

Mr Coburn brought to the table a strong understanding of the development process and the regulatory interface while Mr Brown brought extensive resource management knowledge from throughout New Zealand.

“I think these appointments will be of huge benefit to the company. I’d like to acknowledge that both Jeff and Mike are acutely aware of any potential or perceived conflict of interest that these appointments might raise but both relish the opportunity this presents for the wider community. I am confident they will add significant value to the board,” Mayor van Uden said.

By appointing two directors, who both had intimate knowledge and first-hand experience of the business carried out by the Council Controlled Organisation, flagged that the Council was genuine in its commitment to ensuring Lakes Environmental continued to work towards delivering enhanced services.

Current chair Anne Urlwin had also been appointed for a further four year term.