A good appointment

The Officers of Parliament Committee announced:

The Officers of Parliament Committee has presented a report to the House recommending the appointment of John Richard Allen as Chief Ombudsman.

Mr Allen is the Chancellor at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington and chief executive of WellingtonNZ.  He is a former chief executive of the New Zealand Racing Board, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the New Zealand Post Group.

This is a good appointment. Allen has a strong background in both the public sector, but isn’t a typical former chief executive as he had a strong commercial background with NZ Post and previously as a partner in a law firm.