Te Poari o Taumata Arowai
The Water Services Authority - Taumata Arowai Board
Te Poari o Taumata Arowai (the Board) was appointed on 17 February 2021 by the Minister of Local Government and is chaired by Raveen Jaduram.
The Water Services Authority - Taumata Arowai is governed by its Board, established under the Taumata Arowai–the Water Services Regulator Act 2020. The Board is responsible for the governance of Taumata Arowai. Our Māori Advisory Group (Te Puna) is integral to the success of that governance. The Memorandum of Understanding sets out their expectations and intentions to work as partners. There are 2 members from both the Board and Te Puna who act as a bridge between the partners.
Board members must, as part of their duties:
- ensure the Authority satisfies all legal requirements arising under the The Water Services Authority - Taumata Arowai. This includes the Water Services Regulator Act 2020, the Crown Entities Act 2004, the Water Services Act 2021 and other relevant legislation
- ensure the Authority acts consistently with its goals, functions, current statement of intent, and current statement of performance expectations
- ensure the Authority can uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its principles and to engage with and understand perspectives of Māori
- follow Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its principles and ensure they are taken into account in decision making
- regard the advice of the Māori Board and demonstrate in the Annual Report how the Board responded to this advice.
Our Board has considerable governance experience. This includes representatives with significant knowledge, experience and capability in public health, the water infrastructure sector and Te Ao Māori.
Raveen Jaduram | Board Chair
Raveen Jaduram is an experienced director with immense expertise in the water and infrastructure sectors. He has Bachelors, Honours and Masters degrees in Civil Engineering. He has held chief executive and directorship roles for water companies in New Zealand and Australia, including six years as the Chief Executive of Watercare. He has extensive experience in transforming organisations, creating customer value and contributing to community outcomes. Raveen is currently a member on the boards of the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission and Auckland Transport. He was a member of the Technical Advisory Group for Local Water Done Well. Raveen is a previous President and Chairman of Water New Zealand.
Amanda Singleton
Amanda is an executive with many years of commercial experience, including in the water and utilities sectors. She brings strong stakeholder and relationship management expertise. She has held senior customer roles at Genesis Energy and Vodafone since moving to New Zealand in 2014. Amanda was Watercare’s Chief Customer Officer from 2018-2024, leading initiatives to enhance customer focus and operational efficiency at Watercare.
Dr Frances Hughes
Dr Frances Hughes is a Registered Nurse and global health executive. She has significant leadership and governance experience across the world in the health sector. Her background is in working for both public and private companies at executive level. She has held the roles of Group General Manager for Oceania healthcare, Chief Nurse for New Zealand and Queensland Australia, Commandant-Colonel of the Royal New Zealand Army Core, and CEO of the International Council of Nurses in Geneva. She has numerous awards and citations including Officer and Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) (CNZM) for her services to mental health and nursing. She is widely published and holds academic appointments in USA and Australia. She is both a Fulbright Scholar and Harkness Fellow in Health care policy. Frances has served on several domestic and international boards. She has strong risk management focus and was awarded the 2022 risk professional of year award by RiskNZ. She is a changemaker and pioneer who courageously works to transform systems, policies and innovations that care for those who are most vulnerable.
Dr Virginia Hope
Dr Hope has a background in governance, healthcare and science management, public health medicine, and medical administration. She has previously held governance positions in Crown entities and professional organisations and been a member of many advisory groups to public sector agencies.
Dr Hope is currently medical director for ESR and a member of the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 Technical Advisory Group. She is a specialist in public health medicine and in medical administration who previously managed the public health aspects of the three waters in the Auckland region. For over a decade she served as Medical Officer of Health for Auckland Regional Public Health Services.
Dr Hope also served as the Chair of both Capital and Coast and Hutt Valley District Health Boards from 2010 to 2016. She was previously an elected member of the Auckland DHB. She is currently a commissioner and board member of Te Kāhui Tātari Ture – the Criminal Cases Review Commission.
Loretta Lovell
Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Pahauwera, Ngāti Kahungunu, Whakatōhea
Loretta is a Solicitor, Independent Environmental Commissioner and Professional Director.
For over 20 years Loretta has specialised in public, commercial, energy and resource management law, advising clients as they develop their resources and negotiate and progress large scale infrastructure projects. As an environmental commissioner and chairperson, she has considered and decided many complex plan and consent applications often involving large scale infrastructure for telecommunications, electricity grid, lines and generation, and drinking, storm and wastewater.
Loretta is also an Associate Commissioner of the Commerce Commission which is the economic regulator for water for New Zealand, providing a common conduit between the economic and quality regulators at governance level. She is also a Board member of The Charities Registration Board and until recently served on the board of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority and the Environmental Legal Assistance Advisory Panel.
Loretta has previously been a legal advisor for several Treaty settlements and iwi organisations, and brings legal, environmental and Te Tiriti experience to Te Puna and our board.
Anthony Wilson
Anthony has over 45 years’ experience as a civil engineer, mostly in the water sector. He is a Distinguished Fellow of Engineering New Zealand and an Honorary Life Member of Water New Zealand, having served as National President for both. His experience includes managing the water infrastructure at New Plymouth District and Wellington City Councils.
He is currently a Director of Infrastructure and Water Consultancy Services Limited, and Lead – Three Waters Stimulus for Crown Infrastructure Partners Ltd. Anthony also served as one of the panel members of the Havelock North Drinking Water Inquiry.