Appointments to the Real Estate Agents Authority

Associate Minister of Justice, Simon Bridges, has announced a number of appointments to the Real Estate Agents Authority.

Experienced commercial and property lawyer, John Auld, has been reappointed as the chairperson for a two year term while three new members have been appointed to the Authority, each for a three year term.

Those members are Elizabeth Nidd, Anthony Stack and Marion Cowden. Ms Nidd and Mr Stack have experience as real estate licensees, while Ms Cowden has held senior directorship roles in the public and private sectors.

Mr Bridges says since the Authority was established in 2009, it has brought about considerable change to how the real estate industry is overseen.

“The Authority is an independent Crown entity responsible for promoting high service standards and professionalism in the real estate industry. It plays a vital role helping protect participants in the property market.

“It provides information to buyers and sellers, provides guidance to agents, and deals with complaints about agents’ behaviour,” he says.

Background information on appointees

John Auld:

In addition to his work as a lawyer he has a great deal of experience in corporate governance and in business generally. He is a former council member and president of the Taranaki District Law Society, and a former council member of the New Zealand Law Society. He served as a Disputes Tribunal Referee from 2009 to 2012 and is the Deputy Chair of Port Taranaki, the Deputy Chair of the Western Institute of Technology, and a former Deputy Chair of Taranaki District Health Board.  Mr Auld is an inaugural member of the Authority having been appointed as a member at its establishment in 2009.

Elizabeth Nidd:

Ms Nidd is a licensee and director of Nidd Realty, an independent real estate company. She has 27 years’ experience in the real estate industry. She was President of the Otago Branch of the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) for six years and has been a Regional Director on the Board of REINZ for the past six years.  She is also a Fellow of REINZ.

Anthony Stack:

Mr Stack is a member of REINZ and has been involved in sales and people management for the past 30 years, including 14 years’ experience in the real estate industry in Tauranga and Rotorua. He has broad management and governance experience. Mr Stack has also managed a business franchise for elderly care and spent a number of years working in the grocery sector.

Marion Cowden:

Ms Cowden is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of New Zealand. She holds a BSc and BCom from Auckland University and an MBA (with Distinction) from Massey University. She has held senior roles in finance and corporate services in the New Zealand and Australian public services and with the Commonwealth Secretariat based in London.  Her current governance roles include Deputy Chair of the Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Deputy Chair and Chair of the Risk and Audit Committee of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, Director of the Co-operative Bank, Member of the St John of God Hauora Trust, and Member of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Ministry for the Environment.

The appointments are effective from 17 August 2015.