Marlborough Waters WSO Board Members
Marlborough
- Lead the establishment of the new Marlborough Water Services Organisation
- Foundation Governance Leadership Opportunity
- Intergenerational Focus and Lasting Legacy
The Organisation
Marlborough Waters Limited is being established by the Marlborough District Council (MDC) as the new council‑controlled Water Services Organisation responsible for the delivery of drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services across the region.
The Role
The MDC is seeking a Chair, and three to four independent Directors, to join the inaugural Board and guide Marlborough Waters through its establishment phase and early years of operation.
Directors will play a key role in setting the strategic direction, establishing fit-for-purpose governance and performance frameworks, and ensuring the organisation is well positioned to manage risk, build capability, and maintain strong relationships with its sole shareholder MDC, iwi, regulators and the communities it serves.
These are foundational governance roles. Successful candidates will help build an organisation from the ground up, setting its strategic direction, culture, and governance frameworks and leaving a lasting legacy for Marlborough by ensuring the sustainable delivery of safe, reliable water services for the district’s communities, environment, and economy for generations to come.
Skills and Experience
An experienced director, you will bring demonstrated governance experience, sound judgement and commercial acumen, with the ability to operate in a politically sensitive, high-scrutiny environment.
Candidates of interest will also have:
- Proven board-level experience in organisations of similar complexity and scale, with the ability to contribute to long-term strategy, performance oversight and sound fiduciary decision-making.
- Sound understanding of financial statements, budgeting, risk management and value-for-money decision-making in a complex, asset-intensive environment.
- Experience in capital investment, asset lifecycle planning and regulatory compliance, ideally in waters, utilities or a similarly regulated sector.
- Proven ability to build trusted relationships with communities, iwi, regulators and government agencies, with a commitment to public sector values and Treaty of Waitangi principles.
- Governance-level understanding of health, safety and wellbeing frameworks.
- High integrity, a collaborative and respectful style, an inquisitive and innovative mindset, and a genuine commitment to the long-term wellbeing of Marlborough's communities and environment.
Understanding of the Marlborough region, its communities, economy and strategic issues is desirable.