Our management team

DIA's executive leadership team by branch

Helen Potiki - Director, Office of the Chief Executive

Helen Potiki

Helen Potiki is Director, Office of the Chief Executive. 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.

Helen joined the Department in May 2018. Prior to that she was the Director of Policy at the Ministry for Women and is currently a 2018 Leadership Development Centre Fellow. Her fellowship explores how flexible work can enable public and civil sectors to deliver effective services to diverse communities. Helen has 15 years of policy experience in the State sector and a strong background in International Relations. Most recently, she has led Government delegations to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York, the APEC Women in the Economy Forum in Vietnam and the East Asia Forum on Family and Gender Policy Development in Thailand.

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

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
Peter Burke	Director, Strategy and Planning
Hiranthi Abeygoonesekera	Chief Legal Advisor
Nick Athea	Chief Portfolio Officer
Peter Dunn	Acting Manager Governance Risk and Assurance
Adrienne Moor	Manager Branch Development and Support
Suzanne Doig	Programme Lead Machinery of Government

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 DIA’s ICT strategy, planning and delivery.

Tim joined DIA 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 Genral Manager System Assurance
Ken Spagnolo	Acting Director Relationship Management
Chris Webb	General Manager, Commercial Strategy and Delivery
Helen Jamison	Government Relations Manager
Frances Parker	Acting Manager Branch Development and Support
Christine Bennett	General Manager Government Information Services
Karl McDiarmid	General Manager Service Innovation
Russell Cooke	Acting Government Chief Privacy Officer

Richard Foy - Acting Deputy Chief Executive Information and Knowledge Services

Richard Foy

Richard Foy is the DCE of IKS, he was appointed to the role in 2018. He was previously appointed to the role of Chief Archivist and General Manager of Archives New Zealand in April 2018. Prior to this, Richard worked for over two years as the Director, Digital Strategy, Information and Knowledge Services at the Department of Internal Affairs. He worked closely with New Zealand’s National Library and National Archives to imagine their digital future and define a compelling strategy for growing into it.

Richard has a background in information, software systems, technology architecture, and digital strategy. For 12 years he consulted on technology to business, then joined the public service to lead enterprise architecture at the Ministry of Social Development, before joining the Department of Internal Affairs to spearhead Better Public Services, Result 10 and RealMe, the NZ government's official digital authentication, identity and privacy solution.

As Deputy Chief Executive Information and Knowledge Services, Richard has the following people reporting to him:

Name	Title
Bill Macnaught	National Librarian, General Manager of National Library of New Zealand
Richard Foy	Acting Chief Archivist, General Manager Archives New Zealand
Hugh Karena	Director Māori Relationships and Strategy
Jude Huygens	Principal Advisor
Laureen Jones	He Tohu Transition Manager
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
Cathrine Austin	Acting Director Office of Ethnic Communities
Donald Riezebos	Acting Chief Executive Local Government Commission
Susan Allen	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.

Maria was most recently the Deputy Chief Executive for Service Delivery at Building and Housing where she was previously 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	Registrar-General and General Manager Services and Access
Russell Burnard	General Manager Operations
Briget Ridden	Manager Branch Development and Support
Robyn Nicholas	General Manager Community Operations
Julia Wootton	Acting General Charities Services
David Philp	General Manager Partners and Products
Ray Ropata	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 DIA, 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	General Manager Technology Services and Solutions, and CIO
Arun Patel	Acting Chief Financial Officer
Pepi Batsos	Manager Branch Development and Support
Morag Ingram	General Manager Ministerial and Secretariat Services
Harley Spence	General Manager Operations
Emily Redmond	Director Change and Workplace

Te Tari Taiwhenua | Department of Internal Affairs

Building a safe, prosperous and respected nation

Our management team

DIA's executive leadership team by branch

Helen Potiki

Helen Wyn

Karl Le Quesne

Tim Occleshaw

Richard Foy

Marilyn Little

Maria Robertson

Chris East