New appointments to Vulnerable Children’s Board

  • Anne Tolley
Social Development

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley has announced four new independent appointments to the Vulnerable Children’s Board to help support the overhaul of New Zealand’s care and protection system.

The new members are Dame Paula Rebstock, who will chair the reconfigured Board, Peter Douglas, Dame Diane Robertson and Geoff Dangerfield. They join the current members, who are the chief executives of MSD, Health, Education, Police, Corrections, TPK and Justice.

“These appointments are designed to extend and diversify the skills and expertise of the Vulnerable Children’s Board as we transform the care and protection system for at-risk children and young people,” says Mrs Tolley.

“The Board is responsible for cross-agency governance and oversight as we build a new system which focuses on the protection and long-term life outcomes for our vulnerable young people.

“Dame Paula Rebstock chaired the expert panel which developed the business case underpinning the radical overhaul of the system, and Peter Douglas also played an important part in this work. I’m delighted that they will continue to be involved. We are also very fortunate to have the wide-ranging experience of Dame Diane Robertson and Geoff Dangerfield.”

The independent members have a mix of skills and knowledge of:

  • Governance experience
  • Investment, purchasing and service delivery
  • The use of data, evidence and analytics
  • The NGO sector
  • Complex system management and transformation

“These skills will be vital as we build a new care and protection system based on prevention, intensive intervention, care support services, transition support and youth justice,” says Mrs Tolley.

“We will use a social investment approach to identify the best way of targeting early interventions, and develop direct purchasing for some important services, to give these children the best possible chance of living a happy and successful life.”

The terms of reference for the Board are available at: http://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/work-programmes/investing-in-children/index.html#RevisedVulnerableChildrenrsquosBoardTermsofReference4

Notes to Editors:

Dame Paula Rebstock led the independent expert advisory panel which reported to the Minister on the overhaul of Child, Youth and Family. She has extensive governance experience and experience dealing with actuarial valuation models. She is Chair of the ACC Board, Deputy Chair of KiwiRail, Chair of the Insurances and Savings Commission, a member of Auckland Business School Advisory Board and a director of Auckland Transport. Dame Paula is also a lead reviewer for the Performance Improvement Framework for the State Services Commission.

Peter Douglas is a former social worker and was a member of the independent expert advisory panel which reported to the Minister on the CYF overhaul. He is a former CEO of Te Ohu Kaimoana (Maori Fisheries Trust) and brings extensive senior management experience in both the public and private sector. He was principal Maori adviser at the Ministry of Social Development and a senior manager in business banking at Westpac. 

Dame Diane Robertson has extensive experience of the non-government sector. She is a former Chief Executive of the Auckland City Mission, and is currently the Chair of the Data Futures Partnership Working Group. She is on the board of the Committee for Auckland Trust and James Liston Hostel Trust. She has previously held a number of other board positions, including with the Springboard Trust, Auckland University Community Advisory Board, New Zealand Institute, Knowledge Wave, and the Robin Hood Foundation.

Geoff Dangerfield has skills and knowledge of forming and transforming organisations. He was appointed as the NZ Transport Agency's first chief executive in 2008, and was previously chief executive of the Ministry of Economic Development, Deputy Secretary to the Treasury and an advisor in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.