Four new Trustees have been successfully appointed to the Venture Taranaki/Te Puna Umanga Board of Trustees. The new Trustees were approved by New Plymouth District Council councillors in a council meeting on 26 April 2022, and will take up their official appointments on 7 June 2022.

The incoming Trustees include a line-up of high-calibre executives and directors, including Owner and Director of Velocite Grant McQuoid, former TSB CFO Roddy Bennett, Pou Amotake/General Manager Operations at Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa Joshua Hitchcock, and current Papa Rererangi i Puketapu Ltd (New Plymouth Airport) Board Member Chris Myers.

"On behalf of the Venture Taranaki Board and the team at Venture Taranaki, I would like to welcome and congratulate, Grant, Roddy, Chris, and Joshua on their successful appointments," said Venture Taranaki Chair, Joanna Breare.

The cohort of talented trustees are set to officially join the governance team, replacing four outgoing trustees, including Hemi Sundgren, Kevin Murphy, Hinerangi Ramati, and previous Venture Chair Jamie Tuuta.

"I would like to thank and acknowledge the contributions all of our outgoing Trustees and the impact they have had on Venture Taranaki and the wider Taranaki region," said Joanna.

"Collectively they have made a huge contribution, and their skills, experience, and strategic minds will be missed around the table," she added.

New Plymouth District Mayor Neil Holdom also thanks the departing board members for their contributions and welcomes the new appointments.

"Venture Taranaki has a proud history of innovative thinking as our economic and tourism development agency, supporting all the great businesses of our region, both big and small, punching above our weight while encouraging visitors to enjoy our piece of paradise. There’s no doubt we’re facing some big challenges as we look ahead to a post-covid economy and a low-emissions future in line with the Taranaki 2050 Roadmap. With directors of this calibre, we can have confidence we’ll continue to head in the right direction," said Mayor Neil Holdom.

The new Trustees are looking forward to getting underway with the region’s Economic Development Agency, and are excited about the future of the organisation, and the region.

"I’m looking forward to getting across the organisation. From the outside looking in, Venture Taranaki/Te Puna Umanga have been doing a great job at supporting enterprise growth throughout the region, while also making significant headway across strategic areas of importance to Taranaki Māori and the region as a whole through food and fibre diversification, the transition towards a low-emissions future, the recent work supporting the Māori economy, and attracting the visitors of tomorrow. I look forward to continuing to support this alongside their other diverse kaupapa, and contribute collaboratively and strategically around the table," said Joshua, Pou Amotake / General Manager Operations, Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa.

The new board members come at a significant time for the organisation, as they welcome a new Chief Executive; Kelvin Wright in the coming week.

"As a board, with a new CE and recently appointed new chair, this is an exciting time to be joining, as we look to leverage off the significant and impactful undertakings we have contributed to in recent years, and to consider what lies ahead to best serve our community and shareholder to make Taranaki a great place to live, work and play," said Joanna.

The incoming board members will be welcomed into the organisation alongside incoming CE Kelvin Wright on 2 May with a Powhiri. Their first official board meeting will be on 13 June after a full induction into Venture Taranaki by the Senior Leadership Team.