New Appointments to WorkSafe Board to Address Financial and Governance Challenges

“WorkSafe has faced significant challenges recently, including accumulating an almost $18 million deficit under the previous government,” stated Ms. van Velden.

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden has announced three new appointments to the WorkSafe board aimed at bolstering the organization’s capabilities to overcome recent challenges and enhance its effectiveness.

“WorkSafe has faced significant challenges recently, including accumulating an almost $18 million deficit under the previous government,” stated Ms. van Velden.

A 2022 independent review by SageBush revealed that WorkSafe lacked a clear framework and the necessary tools to evaluate its activities or make informed resource allocation decisions. Furthermore, WorkSafe struggled to demonstrate how its regulatory activities contributed to its desired outcomes.

“The historical issues with WorkSafe were highlighted to me in my initial briefing as an incoming Minister. Since then, I have collaborated with the Board’s Chair, Chief Executive, and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment as Crown Monitor to understand WorkSafe’s needs and the path forward,” van Velden explained.

Recognizing the need for strong financial oversight, van Velden emphasized that the new board members bring valuable governance and financial management expertise to ensure WorkSafe’s effective performance of its core role.

The three new appointments, filling vacant positions for a three-year term, are:

Elena Trout: An experienced independent director and chair, currently serving as the independent Chair of WorkSafe New Zealand’s Audit, Risk, and Finance Committee. Trout brings extensive governance experience and a strong understanding of public accountability to the board.

Kevin Jenkins: A finance, governance, and risk professional with a robust background in both public and private sectors, Jenkins has deep experience in regulation and public sector governance.

Paul Connell: A finance and governance professional with a wide-ranging sector background, Connell possesses extensive knowledge of public accountability, finance, and governance practices.

“I am confident that these appointments will help build on the progress made to ensure WorkSafe’s financial sustainability and address the findings of the SageBush review,” said van Velden.

“Ensuring WorkSafe is sustainable and delivering its core functions is a priority for me, and I will be holding WorkSafe accountable,” she added.

In conjunction with these appointments, van Velden announced a broader health and safety consultation, seeking feedback on the public’s experiences with WorkSafe. This consultation aims to determine if interactions with WorkSafe are perceived as useful, reasonable, and timely, as having an effective regulator is crucial to the health and safety system.