Board of directors Board of directors

Auckland Transport has been established as a council controlled organisation (CCO) with eight board members. A CCO is a company or organisation in which a local authority controls 50% or more of the votes, or has the right to appoint 50% or more of the directors or trustees.

Role and appointment process

Auckland Transport’s activities are directed and guided at a strategic level by the board of directors:

Between 6 and 8 voting directors are appointed by Auckland Council and will generally serve a term of 1 to 3 years and then may be re-appointed by Auckland Council for a further 3 years.
Two of those directors may be members of Auckland Council.
In addition, 1 non-voting member is nominated by the New Zealand Transport Agency.

The board has overall responsibility for delivering transport in Auckland; this includes managing and controlling public transport and local roads, as well as preparing the Auckland Regional Land Transport Programme.

All decisions relating to the operation of Auckland Transport are made by, or under, the authority of the board in accordance with the Local Government (Tamaki Makaurau Reorganisation) Amendment Act 2009, the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009, and the Local Government (Auckland Transitional Provisions) Act 2010.

Auckland Transport board members

Adrienne Young-Cooper - Chair

Adrienne Young-Cooper has a town planning background and has been an independent director on transport and property companies for almost 20 years. In her past governance roles at ARTNL, ARTA (which both preceded AT) and NZTA she has overseen the delivery of major capital projects including the completion of the Britomart Rail Station, the electrification and double tracking of the Auckland commuter rail system, completion of stage 1 of the Northern Busway, and the Waterview tunnel.

Adrienne is currently the chair of Panuku Development Auckland Limited and has previously been the chair and deputy chair of Housing NZ, chair and director of HLC Ipreviously Hobsonville Land Company) Limited.

Adrienne’s driving passion as a professional director is to support the creation of enduring, sustainable, beautiful, integrated and diverse communities, well connected by transport networks and services. It is her view that transport investment must drive and incentivise sustainable development and support Auckland Council’s climate strategy.

Current roles and general disclosure of interests:

Chair, Panuku Development Auckland Limited.
Director, Queenstown Airport Corporation Limited.
Chair, Cornwall Park Trust Board Incorporated

Wayne Donnelly - Deputy Chair

Wayne Donnelly is a former Chief Executive of Land Transport New Zealand (now the NZ Transport Agency) and Rodney District Council, where he was responsible for managing the council’s operations. He has held senior management positions in the construction sector and at the former Auckland City Council, and worked in the transport and oil industries in Britain and Hong Kong.

Current roles and general disclosure of interests:

Managing Director, Donnelly Consulting Ltd.

Kylie Clegg

Kylie Clegg has a corporate legal background, having specialised in mergers and acquisitions and providing corporate governance advice across a range of industries for private and publicly listed companies and government organisations. Kylie was a previous Auckland Transport Board Observer.

Current roles and general disclosure of interests:

Deputy Chair, Waitematā District Health Board.
Director, Counties Manukau District Health Board.
Director, Sport New Zealand.
Director, High Performance Sport New Zealand.
Trustee (ex officio), Well Foundation.

Mary-Jane Daly

Mary-Jane Daly is a former Executive General Manager and Chief Financial Officer at IAG New Zealand. Before joining IAG, she spent four years with Fonterra as Group Treasurer and Risk Manager. She has also held positions at the Bank of New Zealand, National Australia Bank and Toronto-Dominion Bank in London.

Current roles and general disclosure of interests:

Director, Cigna Life Insurance New Zealand Limited.
Director, Kiwi Property Group Limited.
Deputy Chair, Airways Corporation of New Zealand Limited.

Darren Linton

Darren Linton has held a number of senior leadership positions at large international companies including Johnson & Johnson, Disney and Universal Pictures. He is currently CEO of Yellow NZ which recently won a Diversity NZ award for the work he has led on diversity and inclusion in the workplace. He has a Bachelor of Commerce from Auckland University and lives in Auckland.

Current roles and general disclosure of interests:

CEO at Yellow NZ.
Chair MyTask.
Independent Director of Hype & Dexter.

Dr Jim Mather

Dr Jim Mather is of Ngāti Awa, Tūhoe and English descent. He has 25 years of leadership experience and is currently Chair of Radio New Zealand, Director of Ngāti Awa Group Holdings Limited and a member of the MBIE Risk and Advisory Committee.

Previously he has led Māori Television and Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and was Chief Executive of the Pacific Business Trust from 2002 to 2005. He is also a qualified accountant and a member of the Chartered Accountants of Australia & New Zealand and the New Zealand Institute of Directors.

A former New Zealand Army officer, Dr Mather was awarded the Sword of Honour in recognition of his distinguished achievements in Officer training.

Current roles and general disclosure of interests:

Chair, Radio New Zealand.
Director, Ngāti Awa Group Holdings Limited.
Member, MBIE Risk and Advisory Committee.
Member, Chartered Accountants of Australia & New Zealand.
Member, New Zealand Institute of Directors.

Dame Paula Rebstock, DNZM

Paula Rebstock was Chair of the Commerce Commission 2003-2009, and a Director of the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology 1999-2004. Before that she was General Manager, Labour Market Policy Group, Department of Labour and worked in The Treasury and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Paula has also chaired significant government reviews and panels.

Current roles and general disclosure of interests:

Chair, ACC.
Chair, New Zealand Police Women’s Advisory Network.
Member, University of Auckland Business School Advisory Board.
Member, Synergia Limited Advisory Board.
Chair, New Zealand Defence Force Advisory Board.
Chair, Vulnerable Children’s Board.
Chair, Finance, Risk and Assurance Committee, Auckland District Health Board.
Chair, Audit and Risk Committee Tonkin + Taylor.
Senior consultant, Strategis; Director/shareholder, On Being Bold.
Consultant, Vodafone.

You may also be interested in:

Board meeting calendar and board reports

Executive team

For more information

Contact Auckland Transport