Our management team
DIA's executive leadership team by branch
- Office of the Chief Executive
- Stewardship and Organisational Sustainability
- Central/Local Government Partnerships
- Strategy and Governance
- Service and System Transformation
- Information and Knowledge Services
- Policy, Regulation and Communities
- Service Delivery and Operations
- Shared Services Branch
Suzanne Doig - Director, Office of the Chief Executive (Acting)
Suzanne Doig
Dr Suzanne Doig is Director, Office of the Chief Executive (Acting). She supports the Chief Executive to lead the Department and undertake his leadership responsibilities across the public sector. That includes supporting the performance of the Department as a member of the executive leadership team and facilitating effective relationships across the Department and with other stakeholders and agencies. The Director also provides strategic advice to the Chief Executive, may lead special projects, and acts as the Chief Executive’s delegate when required.
Suzanne brings an in-depth knowledge of local and central government to the role, developed over a long career in the public service and as Chief Executive Officer of the Local Government Commission. Before joining Te Tari Taiwhenua Department of Internal Affairs, she was General Manager of Strategy and Policy at Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority from 2014 to 2016, working across central and local government on post-2016 arrangements to support regeneration. Before that she held various management and intellectual leadership roles at the Ministry for the Environment, working on major initiatives such as water reform. Early in her career, Suzanne also worked in local government in New Zealand and overseas. She holds a PhD in New Zealand history.
Helen Wyn - Deputy Chief Executive Central/Local Government Partnerships
Helen Wyn
Helen commenced working for the Department as Deputy Chief Executive Policy, Regulatory and Ethnic Affairs in August 2015. Prior to that, she was Acting Chief Executive at the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. From 2010 to 2015, she was Deputy Chief Executive at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, her second spell at DPMC, where she was a Policy Advisor between 2005 and 2008. She has also managed policy at the Ministry of Health, and was General Manager of Public Law at the Ministry of Justice. Helen is a graduate of Wellington’s Victoria University with an Honours degree in Sociology and a Master’s in Public Management, and also attended Oxford University in Britain, where she completed a Strategic Leadership Programme in 2003.
As Deputy Chief Executive Central/Local Government Partnerships, Helen has the following people reporting to her:
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
|
Michael Lovett |
Partnership Director, Central/Local Government Partnerships |
|
Warren Ulusele |
Partnership Director, Central/Local Government Partnerships |
|
Allan Prangnell |
Partnership Director, Central/Local Government Partnerships |
|
Justine Smith |
Partnership Director, Central/Local Government Partnerships |
|
Richard Ward |
Partnership Director, Central/Local Government Partnerships |
|
Paul Barker |
Partnership Director, Central/Local Government Partnerships |
Karl Le Quesne – Deputy Chief Executive Strategy and Governance, Deputy Chief Executive Stewardship and Organisational Sustainability
Karl Le Quesne
Karl is Acting Deputy Chief Executive of the Strategy and Governance branch. Karl joined the Department in June 2017 as Director, Office of the Chief Executive, having previously held the role of Acting Deputy Secretary Early Learning and Student Achievement at the Ministry of Education. He’s held a range of jobs in the Ministry over 17 years. He has worked closely with a number of Ministers, Cabinet Committees, and senior leaders across the Education system, and has also spent time at Corrections and the Ministry of Justice.
As Acting Deputy Chief Executive Karl has a critical role to play in setting the department’s strategic agenda and plan, stewarding the department’s performance story, providing assurance and keeping the department risk conscious but moving forward. Karl’s responsibilities include: Organisational Strategy and Planning; Enterprise Portfolio Management; Governance, Risk and Assurance; Legal Services; Stewardship and Organisational Sustainability and Machinery of Government Positioning.
As Acting Deputy Chief Executive Strategy and Governance, Karl has the following people reporting to him:
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
|
Pepi Batsos |
Acting Director, Strategy and Planning |
|
Andrea Speir |
Chief Legal Advisor |
|
Nick Athea |
Chief Portfolio Officer |
|
Cathrine Austin |
Manager Governance Risk and Assurance |
|
Olwyn Crutchley |
Manager Branch Development and Support |
Tim Occleshaw - Deputy Chief Executive Service and System Transformation,
Deputy Government Chief Digital Officer
Tim Occleshaw
Tim Occleshaw is Deputy Chief Executive, Service and System Transformation and Deputy Government Chief Digital Officer. He has a critical role to play in managing a wide-ranging transformation in how citizens experience all government services online – and how this transformation can be applied across the Department. In the all-of-government area his responsibilities include ICT strategy and planning, ICT system-wide assurance, service innovation, information management, privacy and commercial strategy and delivery. He also leads the Department’s ICT strategy, planning and delivery.
Tim joined the Department in December 2012. Before this, he was with Inland Revenue as Deputy Commissioner, Information, Design and Systems, responsible for information strategy, service and solution design, enterprise architecture and IT operations and services, including modernisation and transformation of IR’s information systems. Prior to that, Tim was Chief Information Officer at the Ministry of Social Development – both jobs for four years.
In July 2008 he won the New Zealand CIO of the Year award.
Tim has spent more than 25 years working in the financial services sector in Australia and New Zealand, in a variety of business and IT management roles including heading IT for ANZ New Zealand.
As Deputy Chief Executive Service and System Transformation, Tim has the following people reporting to him:
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
|
Graeme Osborne |
General Manager System Transformation |
|
Claire Linskill |
Acting General Manager System Assurance |
|
Ken Spagnolo |
Acting Director Relationship Management |
|
Chris Webb |
General Manager, Commercial Strategy and Delivery |
|
Helen Jamison |
General Manager, Strategic Relationships and Advice |
|
Christine Bennett |
General Manager Government Information Services |
|
Karl McDiarmid |
General Manager Service Innovation |
|
Russell Cooke |
Government Chief Privacy Officer |
|
Alan Bell |
Transition Director |
Peter Murray - Deputy Chief Executive Information and Knowledge Services
Peter Murray
Peter has been the Deputy Chief Executive Information Knowledge Services (IKS) since mid-2014. The IKS branch encompasses the National Library of New Zealand - Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa Archives New Zealand – Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga and He Tohu, developed in partnership with Maori, a new permanent exhibition of the three documents that define New Zealand as a nation.
He is a Trustee for the Te Puna Foundation, a charitable entity aligned to the purposes of the National Library of New Zealand.
Peter was previously also responsible for the Government Chief Privacy Officer and Government Information Services. These two all of government functions have been realigned within the Department effective 31 July 2017. Previously Peter was Deputy Chief Executive, Shared Services Branch. He started in this role in early 2011
Prior to joining the Department in 2011, Peter was the Deputy Chief Executive, Organisation Services for the Ministry of Fisheries where he joined in 1999.
Before joining Fisheries, Peter was Chief Financial Officer (including responsibility for IT and HR) for Wellington Area Health Board, and then Capital & Coast Health Limited. He worked prior to that in financial and management roles for IBM Australia and IBM New Zealand, P&O New Zealand and Deloitte.
Peter is a Wellingtonian, and his professional training is as a Chartered Accountant. He has a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration from Victoria University of Wellington and an Executive Masters in Public Administration (2007), from the Australia and New Zealand School of Government, through Victoria University of Wellington.
As Deputy Chief Executive Information and Knowledge Services, Peter has the following people reporting to him:
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
|
Epi Lima |
Executive Assistant |
|
Bill Macnaught |
National Librarian, General Manager of National Library of New Zealand |
|
Richard Foy |
Chief Archivist, General Manager of Archives New Zealand |
|
Hugh Karena |
Director Māori Relationships and Strategy |
|
Jude Huygens |
Principal Advisor |
|
Laureen Jones |
He Tohu Transition Manager |
|
Morag Ingram |
General Manager Ministerial and Secretariat Support |
|
Rob Stevens |
Principal Advisor, Property Projects |
Marilyn Little - Deputy Chief Executive Policy, Regulation and Communities
Marilyn Little
Marilyn joined the Department in 2006. She was appointed Deputy Chief Executive of Policy, Regulation and Communities in October 2017. Marilyn has held a number of roles in the Department, including Chief Archivist/General Manager of Archives NZ for three and a half years. She was previously General Manager of the Policy Group, and Director Local Government and Community Policy. Prior to her work with Internal Affairs, Marilyn held senior roles in the Office of the Auditor-General and the Department of Labour.
Marilyn has completed the Leadership Development Centre’s Advanced Leadership Programme, and holds a Master of Public Policy and a BA Honours in History.
As Deputy Chief Executive Policy, Regulation and Communities, Marilyn has the following people reporting to her:
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
|
Raj Krishnan |
General Manager Policy |
|
Maarten Quivooy |
General Manager Regulatory Services |
|
Anita Balakrishnan |
Director Office of Ethnic Communities |
|
Donald Riezebos |
Acting Chief Executive Local Government Commission |
|
Jane Pierard |
Director Inquiries |
|
James (Jim) Brown |
Acting Manager Branch Development and Support |
Maria Robertson - Deputy Chief Executive Service Delivery and Operations
Maria Robertson
Maria Robertson has held the role of Deputy Chief Executive, Service Delivery and Operations, since February 2013.
She leads a team of 900 staff in the passports, citizenship, births, deaths and marriages, community operations, charities and igovt areas.
Before this, Maria was the DCE for Service Delivery at Building and Housing where she was the deputy Chief Executive Organisational Development and Strategy.
Prior to that, Maria was the General Manager Advanced Dynamics (NZ) Ltd and Manager Performance Improvement Woodproducts at Carter Holt Harvey. She has also held senior roles in Telecom Comalco and Rio Tinto.
As Deputy Chief Executive Service Delivery and Operations, Maria has the following people reporting to her:
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
|
Jeff Montgomery |
General Manager Services and Access, and Registrar General for Births, Deaths and Marriages |
| Russell Burnard |
General Manager Operations |
| Briget Ridden |
Manager Branch Development and Support |
| Robyn Nicholas |
General Manager Community Operations |
| Natasha Weight |
General Manager Charities Services |
| David Philp |
General Manager Te Pou Manawa |
| Ray Ropata |
Director Pou Ārahi |
| Darren Godden |
Programme Manager Te Ara Manaaki |
Chris East - Deputy Chief Executive Shared Services Branch
Chris East
Chris East is Deputy Chief Executive, Shared Services Branch. He joined the Department in 2008, and was appointed to the role in 2018. Chris has held a number of positions within the Department, including Chief Information Officer and General Manager of Technology Services and Solutions. Prior to joining the Department, Chris worked in a range of ICT roles largely within the private sector, both in New Zealand and overseas.
Born and educated in Wellington with a Diploma in Business Computing, Chris is certified in Advanced Strategic Leadership (2016) and in 2015 completed the Melbourne School of Business Leading for Strategic Success programme.
As Deputy Chief Executive Shared Services Branch, Chris has the following people reporting to him:
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
|
Kim Chambers |
General Manager Communications |
|
Lesa Kalapu |
General Manager Human Resources |
|
Murray Davey |
Acting General Manager Technology Services and Solutions, and CIO |
|
Arun Patel |
Acting Chief Financial Officer |
|
Debra Love |
Acting Manager Branch Development and Support |
|
Harley Spence |
General Manager Property |
|
Emily Redmond |
Director Change and Workplace |
|
Carmel Ali |
General Manager Information and Safety, and CSO |
