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Emerging Pacific Leaders’ Dialogue 2006 Program Speakers
HRH The Princess Royal The Princess Royal, the second child and only daughter of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, was born at Clarence House, London on 15 August 1950, when her mother was Princess Elizabeth, heir presumptive to the throne. She was baptised Anne Elizabeth Louise at Buckingham Palace on 21 October 1950.
She received the title Princess Royal from the Queen in June 1987; she was previously known as Princess Anne. Her Royal Highness is seventh holder of the title.
In 1994 The Queen appointed The Princess a Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. In 2000, to mark her 50th birthday, The Princess Royal was appointed to the Order of the Thistle, in recognition of her work for charities.
EPLD Conference Chair Sir William Deane AC KBE Sir William Deane was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, on 4 January 1931. He was educated at St Christopher’s Convent in Canberra (1936-1942), St Joseph’s College at Hunter’s Hill in Sydney (1943-1947) and Sydney University (1948-1953). He subsequently undertook post-graduate study in International Law in Europe. In 1957, he was admitted to the New South Wales Bar and for a period lectured in International Law at Sydney University. He became a Queen’s Counsel in 1966. He married Miss Helen Russell, a Sydney lawyer on 6 January 1965. They have two adult children, Patrick and Mary. Sir William was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in February 1977. Subsequently he was appointed a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia and President of the Australian Trade Practices Tribunal. In July 1982 he was appointed a Justice of the High Court of Australia and served on that Court, which is Australia’s highest court, until he resigned in November 1995 to take up his appointment as Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. He was sworn in as Australia’s 22nd Governor-General on 16 February 1996 and retired from that office on the 29th June 2001. Sir William currently holds many and varied voluntary charitable appointments including President of Scouts Australia and Chairman of Indigenous Scouting, co-Patron of Reconciliation Australia, co-Patron (with President Xanana Gusmao) of the Xanana Educational Trust, co-Patron (with Lady Deane) of Youth off the Streets and a member of the Advisory Board of CARE Australia.
EPLD NZ Chair The Most Reverend Sir Paul Reeves GCMG, GCVO, QSO Sir Paul Reeves was Governor-General of New Zealand from 1985 to 1990, the first churchman and first man of Maori descent appointed to this position. Sir Paul belongs to the Puketapu Hapu of the Te Atiawa of Taranaki.
Sir Paul became a deacon in the Anglican Church of New Zealand in 1958 and a priest in 1960. He was curate at Tokoroa 1958-59, curate at St Mary the Virgin, Oxford, England 1959-61, curate at Kirkley St Peter, Lowestoft, Suffolk 1961-63, vicar of St Paul, Okato 1964-66, lecturer in church history, St John's Theological College, Auckland 1966-69, director of Christian education, Diocese of Auckland 1969-71, and Bishop of Waiapu 1971-79. Sir Paul became Bishop of Auckland in June 1979 and Primate and Archbishop of New Zealand in May 1980.
He was chairman of the Environmental Council 1974-76 and president of the National Council of Churches in New Zealand 1984-85.
Following the completion of his term as Governor-General, Sir Paul took up a number of national and international positions, including that of Anglican Observer at the United Nations in New York, a position he held for three years. In May 2002, Sir Paul was appointed inaugural Chair of Toi Te Taiao: The Bioethics Council.
Sir Paul was educated at Wellington College, Victoria University of Wellington (MA), St John's Theological College, Auckland (L.Th.) and St Peter's College, Oxford (MA, Hon. Fellow).
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Dame Silvia Cartwright, PCNZM, DBE Governor-General of New Zealand Dame Silvia Cartwright is New Zealand’s 18th Governor-General. Dame Silvia took the oath of office in April 2001 after a distinguished career as a lawyer and jurist, and as an advocate for women and women’s rights. She was the first woman in New Zealand to be appointed to the High Court.
In 1987 and 1988, Dame Silvia chaired the Commission of Inquiry into the Treatment of Cervical Cancer and other Related Matters at the National Women’s Hospital. The inquiry, also known as the Cartwright Inquiry, was a landmark in New Zealand medical history.
Internationally, Dame Silvia contributed as a member of the United Nations committee monitoring compliance with the United Nations Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). In 2001, she was made an International Honorary Member of Zonta International, the organisation for the advancement of women worldwide.
Since becoming Governor-General, Dame Silvia has assumed the Chair of the Waitangi National Trust Board which administers the land at Waitangi on which the country’s founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi, was signed in 1840.
Dame Silvia is patron to more than 150 organisations and charities and regularly travels overseas to represent New Zealand on the world stage. She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1989 and Principal Companion of the New Zealand Order of merit in 2001.
Ms Quentin Bryce, AC Governor of Queensland Ms Quentin Bryce has enjoyed a rich and dynamic career as a talented lawyer, academic, and senior public officer, and as a prolific and dedicated contributor to a range of community organisations, recognised in her appointment as a Companion of the Order of Australia. Her former roles include: inaugural Director of the Queensland Women’s Information Service, Office of the Status of Women; Queensland Director of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission; Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner; founding Chair and Chief Executive of the National Childcare Accreditation Council; and Principal and Chief Executive Officer of The Women’s College, University of Sydney, Member of Australian Delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Commission, Lecturer in Law School, University of Queensland. Representative of the PM of Australia TBA
The Hon Judith Tizard MP MP for Auckland Central, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Minister Responsible for Archives New Zealand, Minister Responsible for the National Library, Minister for Auckland Issues Ms Tizard has been a member of New Zealand’s Labour Party since 1973. She has held public office since 1977 when she was elected to the Auckland Electric Power Board. In 1988 she was elected as Panmure member for the Auckland Regional Council and was MP for Panmure from 1990 -1996 until boundary changes saw her move back to Auckland Central which she has represented since. She is currently Minister of Consumer Affairs, Minister Responsible for Archives New Zealand, Minister Responsible for the National Library, Minister for Auckland Issues, Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Associate Minister of Commerce and Associate Minister of Transport.
The Hon Tom Barton MP Minister for Employment, Training and Industrial Relations and Minister for Sport, Queensland Government Before entering state politics in 1992, Mr Barton had a distinguished career in Queensland's trade union movement, capped by a term as General Secretary of the Trades and Labor Council (1990-92). His extensive ministerial experience includes terms as Minister for the Environment (with the third Goss Government) and subsequently as Police and Corrective Services Minister and then Minister for State Development in governments headed by Peter Beattie.
Mr Richard Warburton AO Chairman Commonwealth Study Conferences (Australia) Inc. Dick Warburton is Chairman of Caltex Australia Limited, Chairman of the Board of Taxation and holds a number of company directorships including Tandou Limited, Nufarm Limited and Tabcorp Holdings Limited.
Dick is former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Du Pont Australia and New Zealand and worked with that company in Australia, the USA and Asia for 30 years in marketing, manufacturing, technical and management roles. He is also a former director of David Jones Limited, Southcorp Limited, the Reserve Bank Board and AurionGold Limted and is a fellow (and former National President) of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Dick has been Chairman of the Commonwealth Study Conferences (Australia) Inc. since 2001.
Miles Middlemass Chairman Commonwealth Study Conferences (New Zealand) Trust Miles Middlemass is Chair of the Commonwealth Study Conferences Trust in New Zealand and was a member of CSC 1980 in Canada. He has held senior positions in the New Zealand Public Service, including periods as Secretary and Assistant Commissioner with the State Services Commission, General Manager with the Department of Justice, and National Manager with the Education Review Office.
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EPLD Presenters
HE Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta'isi Efi Member of the Council of Deputies of Samoa Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta'isi Efi is currently a Member of the Council of Deputies of Samoa and one of the paramount matai of Samoa. His positions in Samoa have included Member of Parliament, Minister, Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition. He has also held senior international roles as Commissioner for the South Commission (Geneva) and Oceania Representative for the Pontifical Interreligious Commission.
Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta'isi Efi is widely regarded as an articulator of Fa'a Samoa and the author of a number of books on Samoan culture and custom. His positions in academia include: Adjunct Professor, Awanuiorangi, New Zealand; Associate Member of the Matahauariki Institute, Waikato University; 2005 Assessor for Samoan Language and Culture, National University, Samoa; PhD examiner Pacific History, Australian National University. He is a former Resident Scholar at the Pacific Studies Centre, Australian National University and in Pacific Studies, Macmillan Brown Centre, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.
He is President of the Samoa Rugby Union and Patron of Marist Old Boys Association.
The Rt Hon Sir Rabbie Namaliu CSM KCMG MP Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration Government of Papua New Guinea Sir Rabbie Namaliu has served as Foreign Minister in the Government of Papua New Guinea since August 2002. He served as Prime Minister between 1988-1992 and earlier served as Foreign Minister, 1982-85 and has held several other senior Ministries since his first election to Parliament as MP for Kokopo (East New Britain) in 1982.
Sir Rabbie had a distinguished public service career before entering Parliament. He was Chairman of the Public Service Commission from 1976-1979 and earlier served as Principal Private Secretary to the Chief Minister and then first Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare and in 1976 served as East New Britain Provincial Commissioner.
He was a Senior Tutor at the University of Papua New Guinea, and was the first UPNG graduate to be appointed to the University's academic staff.
Sir Rabbie holds a Bachelor of Arts from UPNG, and a Master of Arts from the University of Victoria, British Columbia and an honorary Doctorate from the same University.
The Hon Bikenibeu Paeniu Minister for Finance and Planning Government of Tuvalu The Hon Bikenibeu Paeniu is Tuvalu’s Minister for Finance and Planning and representative of the constituency of the island of Nukulaelae. He has also served two terms as Prime Minister of Tuvalu. Bikenibeu Paeniu speaks widely at international forums on the impact of global warming and climate change on small islands states and the Pacific peoples.
Rt Hon Mekere Morauta Kt MP Member for Moresby North-West Chairman of the National Capital District Commission, PNG Mekere Morauta was the first graduate in Economics from the University of Papua New Guinea. He became a Member of the Papua New Guinea National Parliament in 1997, and was Prime Minister from 1999 to 2002. He holds the seat of Port Moresby North-West, and is also currently Chairman of the National Capital District Commission Board.
Prior to entering politics, Morauta was Secretary for Finance (1972–1982), Managing Director of the Papua New Guinea Banking Corporation (1983-1992), Governor of the Bank of Papua New Guinea (1993-1994), a company director and successful businessman.
The Hon Sir Ieremia Tabai Beretienti of Kiribati Ieremai Tabai was born at Nonouti, his home island on 16 December 1949, and was educated at the King George V and Elaine Bernaccchi School from 1963 to 1966. Later he studied at St Andrews College Christchurch, New Zealand from 1967 to 1969. He continued to Victoria University Wellington in 1970 and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration degree in 1972.
In January 1973 he entered the public service and was employed as Senior Assistant Accountant. After completing a year of service, Mr Tabai had to resign in order to stand for election to the House of Assembly.
Following his election as Member for Nonouti in 1974 he joined the opposition party and before long was appointed Leader of the Opposition. In 1978 following re-election Ieremia Tabai campaigned for the Office of Chief Minister and was subsequently elected by a noticeable majority of voters in a national election.
On independence in July 1979 he became the first President of Kiribati. He was awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in 1982. He was again returned to his seat in the subsequent elections of 1982 and 1983.
After retiring from the presidency, Tabai served as Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum from 1992 until 1998.
Ieremia Tabai is married to Nei Meleangi and they have 3 children.
Professor Richard Bedford University of Waikato Professor Richard Bedford is Professor of Geography and Convenor of the Migration Research Group at the University of Waikato, and Director of the Tertiary Education Commission-funded Building Research Capability in the Social Sciences (BRCSS) Network. He is a specialist in migration research and since the mid-1960s he has been researching processes of population movement in the Asia-Pacific region. He served as academic adviser to the Ministerial Advisory Group on Immigration between 2000 and 2003. He currently chairs the intergovernmental Social Policy Evaluation and Research Committee (SPEaR), and is a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Official Statistics (ACOS). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and a member of several research and policy advisory groups.
Maire-Bopp Allport CEO Pacific Islands AIDS Foundation Maire-Bopp Allport, an HIV/AIDS advocate, is the founder of the Pacific Islands AIDS Foundation (PIAF), a regional organization working to improve the quality of life for Pacific Islanders living with HIV/AIDS.
As a young Tahitian woman, Maire was the first HIV positive Pacific Islander to go public in the media about living with the virus. In taking this courageous step, she made HIV/AIDS visible in the Pacific Islands and helped put it on the Pacific regions’ agenda. Since then Maire has become an international voice speaking out for those infected and affected by HIV and AIDS in the Pacific Islands.
Sharan Burrow President, Australian Council of Trade Unions President, International Confederation of Free Trade Unions In May 2000, Sharan Burrow became the second woman to be elected President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). In December 2004, Sharan was the first woman to be elected President of the world union body, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), which represents 148 million workers in 231 affiliated organisations across 150 countries. In October 2000, Sharan also became the first woman to be elected President of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions Asia Pacific Region Organisation.
Sharan studied teaching at the University of NSW and began her teaching career in high schools around country NSW. She became an organiser for the NSW Teachers' Federation, based in Bathurst, and was President of the Bathurst Trades and Labour Council during the 1980s.
Sharan was elected Senior Vice-President of the NSW Teachers' Federation and became President of the Australian Education Union (AEU) in 1992. She represented the AEU on the ACTU Executive through the 1990s.
Sharan was previously Vice-President of Education International from 1995 to 2000. Education International is the international organisation of education unions representing 24 million members worldwide.
She is currently President of the International Centre for Trade Union Rights, a member of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation and a member of the Stakeholder Council of the Global Reporting Initiative. As part of her ILO responsibilities, Sharan chairs the Workers' Group of the Sub-Committee on Multinational Enterprises.
Dr Satish Chand Australian National University Dr Satish Chand is Associate Professor in the International and Development Economics program at the Australian National University (ANU). He is also the Director of the Pacific Policy Project, located within the Asia Pacific School of Economics and Government that undertakes policy-relevant research on Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands. Satish has a PhD in Economics from the ANU and has published on international trade, economic growth, labour markets, and development.
Fred Cobbo Research Officer Indigenous Education Leadership Institute, Queensland Fred Cobbo is a descendent of the Wakka Wakka people of the South Burnett region of Queensland. He is currently employed by Education Queensland to work as an Indigenous Liaison Officer at Murgon High School and is the part-time research officer for the Indigenous Education Leadership Institute as a partnership with the Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council. Fred holds a Diploma of Education, and numerous Certificates including Sports and Recreation and is currently engaged in a mentoring accreditation workshop as a future trainer of trainers in the Cherbourg Community. Fred is highly motivated about Indigenous youth leadership and mentoring in the South Burnett Indigenous community. He liaises with Indigenous teachers, teacher-aides and other professional educators and leaders in the community. He represents the Institute on a number of committees and groups including the Cherbourg Men's Leadership Group. Fred trained as an electrician and is currently registered as an electrical mechanic and fitter and brings a wealth of workplace experience to the Institute. After a chance meeting with Director, Chris Sarra, he began a new career in educating Indigenous students. He worked closely with the team at the Institute to develop and implement the very successful "strong and smart" philosophy from a community perspective at Cherbourg School from 1999-2004. Fred is a qualified AFL coach and a qualified Rugby League coach. He enjoys interacting with youth who have been disengaged from mainstream education and he feels passionately about leadership towards higher Indigenous student outcomes.
Laureate Professor Peter Doherty AC FAA FRS University of Melbourne St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis Professor Peter Doherty shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1996 with Swiss colleague Rolf Zinkernagel, for their discovery of how the immune system recognises virus-infected cells. He was Australian of the Year in 1997, and has been commuting between St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne. His research is mainly in the area of defence against viruses. He regularly devotes time to delivering public lectures, writing articles for newspapers and magazines and participating in radio discussions.
Peter Doherty graduated from the University of Queensland in Veterinary Science and became a veterinary officer. Moving to Scotland, he received his PhD from the University of Edinburgh Medical School. He is the first person with a veterinary qualification to win a Nobel prize.
Steve Dunn Deputy Director-General Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) In a 30 year career Steve Dunn has worked in the construction industry, the fishing industry, in the NSW State Government, and now in a Pacific regional organisation. He holds a Bachelor of Science in fishery science from Plymouth, UK, and a Masters in Management from Macquarie University in Sydney.
Steve migrated from Cornwall to Australia in 1990 and his first trip to a Pacific Island was in 1996 when he visited the Solomon Islands for the first time. He has now visited 13 Pacific Island countries, many of those visits in his official capacity as the Deputy Director-General of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA). Steve joined the FFA in 1994 after 5 years as the Director-General of NSW Fisheries.
Mark Ella AM Former Captain of the Wallabies Australian Rugby Union Team The name Mark Ella is synonymous with excellence in the arena of sports, cultural development and business. A Young Australian of the Year, Mark is a working journalist for leading newspapers and magazines, a member of the board for Rio Tinto Aboriginal Foundation and Telstra Stadium and is director of all HEG companies. Mark continues to be involved in rugby through senior coaching consultancies both domestically and internationally. His opinions continue to influence Australians and in recent years, historians, journalists and biographers have elevated his status to Australian icon.
Jamie Fox First Assistant Secretary Migration and Temporary Entry Division Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Australia Jamie Fox is the First Assistant Secretary of the Migration and Temporary Entry Division in the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. In that role, he is responsible for all aspects of Australia's migration programme. Prior to taking up his role in Immigration, Jamie worked in several government departments including health and customs. He was a senior adviser in the Prime Minister's Office for two years in 2004 and 2005.
Brenda Heather-Latu Attorney General Samoa A graduate of Victoria University of Wellington, Brenda was born and educated in New Zealand of Samoan parents and returned to Samoa in 1996 through New Zealand funded Assistance to the Office of the Attorney General after having spent 8 years with the Crown Law Office in Wellington, five as Crown Counsel. She was appointed Samoa’s first female Attorney General in May 1997 and is the longest serving holder of that constitutional post in Samoa’s history.
Brenda has attended the Leaders in Development Executive Course at JFK School of Government, Harvard University in 2003 and was the Keynote Speaker at the closing of the Pacific Visions conference in 2001 for Pacific Peoples held in Auckland, New Zealand hosted by the NZ Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs where she spoke about the role of the diaspora in the development of the home countries of the Pacific.
Brenda has particular interest in the areas of Transnational Crime, International Investment, Trade and Global Tax Issues, the International Criminal Court and Mutual Legal Assistance; HIV and AIDS (having been a founding trustee of the Pacific Island Aids Trust (NZ)), the role of bi and multilateral aid in good governance, the impact of small developing island states in international decision making and the return of overseas borne Pacific Island youth to their countries of origin.
David Hegarty State, Society & Governance in Melanesia Project Australian National University David Hegarty is a political scientist with 35 years experience teaching and researching on Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands region. For the past 7 years he has been Convenor of the State, Society & Governance in Melanesia Program at the Australian National University. During the 1970s and early 1980s he was a lecturer in Political Studies at the University of Papua New Guinea. He has also worked within various departments of the Australian Government. From 1995 to 1998 he served as Australian High Commissioner to Samoa. In 2001 he was the leader of the International Peace Monitoring Team in Solomon Islands. His primary interests are in state and nation building, conflict and its resolution, and regional security.
Dr Manuka Henare, University of Auckland Business School Dr Manuka Henare BA (Hons), PhD (VUW) is Associate Dean (Māori and Pacific Development) and Director of the Mira Szászy Research Centre for Māori and Pacific Economic Development, University of Auckland Business School. He leads a number of research teams and has diverse research interests – indigenous religions in economics, business, social and spiritual capital, globalisation and local economies. He teaches Māori business enterprise and leadership.
He led two New Zealand Government Delegations to regional interfaith dialogues - the Cebu Dialogue on Regional Interfaith Cooperation, the Philippines (2006); and the ASEAN Interfaith Dialogue in Indonesia (2004). In 1998, he was appointed by Pope John Paul II, an Auditor (Pacific Historian and Anthropologist), to the Special Synod of Bishops Conferences of Oceania, Vatican City. In 1990 he was a member of the NZ Prime Minister’s South Pacific Policy Review Task Force.
Prior to his university career he was CEO of two national non-government organisations involved in international development, justice and peace, and has travelled extensively throughout the Pacific and Asia.
Dr Stephen Howes Principal Economist AusAID Before joining AusAID in 2005, Stephen Howes was Lead Economist for India in the World Bank, based in Delhi. He joined the World Bank in 1994, and worked on Indonesia before India. Earlier, he studied and worked in Australia, and then completed a PhD in Economics and worked as a Research Officer at the London School of Economics. Over the last fifteen years, he has conducted extensive research on the economies of the Asia-Pacific region. As Principal Economist for AusAID, he served a member of the three-person Core Group which developed recommendations for the 2006 White Paper on Australian Aid, and was principal author of Pacific 2020: Challenges and Opportunities for Growth.
Mr Robert Igara Chief Executive Officer PNG Sustainable Development Program Ltd. Robert Igara (CMG, BEcon, Grad Dipl in Intl Law, MBA) is Chief Executive Officer of the PNG Sustainable Development Program Ltd. He served as the Chief Secretary to Government between 1997 and 2002, and concurrently as Acting Secretary for Treasury from July 2001 to August 2002. He has also served as Secretary for Trade and Industry, as Director of the Office of International Development Assistance, and has held several senior positions in the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including diplomatic postings in Fiji and Australia. He was also Chairman of the Boards of Directors of several statutory agencies-the Papua New Guinea Investment Promotion Authority, the Papua New Guinea Forestry Authority, and the Small Business Development Corporation. He served as a Director of Orogen Minerals Ltd, PNG-Halla Cement Corporation, the Bank of Papua New Guinea, and Chairman of PNG Microfinance Ltd. He is currently a Director of Oil Search Ltd and nominee on the Board of PNG Sustainable Energy Ltd.
Peter Kenyon Founder/Director Bank of I.D.E.A.S Peter Kenyon is a social entrepreneur and a community enthusiast and founder and Director of the Bank of I.D.E.A.S. (www.bankofideas.com.au). Over the last 15 years he has worked with over 1000 communities throughout Australia and overseas seeking to facilitate fresh and creative ways that stimulate community and economic renewal. He is motivated by the desire to create healthy, inclusive, sustainable and enterprising communities. Peter has had a background as a youth worker, teacher, youth education officer, and tertiary lecturer. His employment experiences have also included Director of Employment in Western Australia, Manager of the Community Employment Development Unit in New Zealand and Coordinator of the Natal Kwazulu Job Creation and Enterprise Strategy in South Africa. His international consulting work involves assignments in over 40 countries.
Sue Lennox Co-founder/CEO (BSc DipEd) Oz GREEN To Sue, Oz GREEN is not a job – it is her strategic response to her deep concern about the world’s waters and her vision to build a more sustainable, peaceful and equitable world. Sue, along with her husband Colin, has been the driving force behind Oz GREEN since it’s inception. She has 30 years experience in education program innovation, development, management and implementation in Australia, India, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Pakistan. Oz GREEN (Global Rivers Environmental Education Network – Australia Inc) is an independent, not for profit organisation established in 1992. Oz GREEN runs life changing learning and leadership programs that harness the creativity and intelligence of people to build pathways to ecologically sustainable futures. Sue has received Banksia Environmental Awards, UN Media Peace Awards, Environmental Educator of the Year (1998), Award for Excellence in Teaching from NSW Department of Education and her former school was designated a Centre of Excellence in Environmental Education. Sue represents the NGO sector on the NSW Government Advisory Council on Environmental Education. She is a member of the Australian Association for Environmental Education and Women Chief’s of Enterprise International.
Dr Lester Levy Chief Executive, Excelerator Institute University of Auckland Business School Dr Lester Levy is the Chief Executive of Excelerator and Adjunct Professor of Leadership at The University of Auckland Business School. Lester, who has an MBA as well as a medical degree, has extensive management and governance experience in the fields of healthcare, biotechnology and film and television production. Lester had his formative management experience in the multinational environment and is best known for leading a number of significant turnarounds in the performance of products and organisations.
Lester has previously been seconded to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in New Zealand as an advisor and is a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management. Lester is the author of the book Leadership and the Whirlpool Effect.
Dr Simon Longstaff Executive Director St James Ethics Centre Dr Simon Longstaff is a philosopher and ethicist whose work focus is mostly in the wider community beyond academe. He has been Executive Director of St James Ethics Centre since 1991. Established in 1989, the Centre is an independent not-for-profit organisation which provides a non-judgemental forum for the promotion and exploration of ethics (www.ethics.org.au) One of the Executive Director's roles is to encourage the process of integrating ethical considerations into the strategic thinking of the management community. More generally, Simon encourages and contributes to the active discussion of ethical questions amongst the widest possible audience.
Simon has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and won scholarships to study at Cambridge, where he read for the degrees of Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy.
Professor Ian Lowe AO FTSE FQA Griffith University President, Australian Conservation Foundation Ian Lowe is Emeritus Professor of Science, Technology and Society at Griffith University. He directed the Commission for the Future in 1988 and chaired the advisory council that produced the first report on the state of the Australian environment in 1996. In 2000 he received the Queensland Premier's Millennium Award for Excellence in Science and the Australian Prime Minster's Environmental Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement. He wrote a weekly column for New Scientist for 13 years and received the 2002 Eureka Prize for promotion of science and technology. He is President of the Australian Conservation Foundation and Vice-President of the Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Bob Lyon Chairman ANZ Pacific Bob Lyon was appointed Chairman of ANZ Pacific in 2006 after retiring as Managing Director, Pacific for ANZ Banking Group Limited where he spent 41 years, the last 12 in the Asia Pacific region.
Bob holds a Graduate Diploma in Organisation Development from RMIT University and is a Chartered Member of the Australian Human Resources Institute and a Senior Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia.
Bob has held several board positions outside ANZ and is currently President of the Australia Fiji Business Council, Vice President of the Australia PNG Business Council and is Immediate Past President of the Australia Pacific Islands Business Council. He is also on the boards of the Pacific Economic Bulletin published by the ANU and the Foundation for Development Co-Operation (FDC) and was recently appointed Chairman of the Kula Fund II (venture capital fund).
In 2005 he was awarded the 30th Independence Anniversary Commemorative Medal by the PNG Government for services to the banking industry.
Bob and his wife Helen have one adult son and live in Fiji.
Peter McCarthy Administrator, Humanities Division Macquarie University Peter McCarthy is an administrator in the Humanities Division at Australia’s Macquarie University. He has an Honours Degree in Political Science and earlier working experience in the Australian Public Service where he was involved in efforts to reform public sector management as well as changing relations between the Commonwealth and the Australian States. Before moving to Macquarie University in 2004, he worked on the Democratic Audit of Australia at the Australian National University.
Peter has extensive experience in both developing public sector managers and in helping people to communicate effectively, whether in writing or through negotiation.
James Bradfield Moody Director, Divisional Business Strategy CSIRO Land and Water Dr James Bradfield Moody (PhD, BEng (Elec), B.Info.Tech.) is currently the Director, Divisional Business Strategy at the CSIRO Division of Land and Water, the largest water research and development organisation in Australia. He was formerly the Managing Director of Natural Resource Intelligence (NRI) and Chief Systems Engineer for FedSat, the first Australian Satellite to be launched in thirty years.
James remains on a number of company and industry association boards, including the Australian Spatial Information Business Association and the Brisbane Institute. He is also a visiting fellow at the Australian National University.
In the last five years James has been heavily involved with the United Nations, and from 2000 to 2002 was co-facilitator and Australian representative of the 40 strong youth advisory council to the UN Environment Program (UNEP). He was also a founder and co-chair of the Space Generation Advisory Council in support of the UN Programme on Space Applications. James was also a member of the Science and Technology delegation to the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, is a member and executive secretary of the taskforce on Science and Technology for the Millennium Development Goals and was invited to attend the World Economic Forum as a Global Leader of Tomorrow in 2003.
In 2000, James was named Young Professional Engineer of the Year and in 2005 was named one of the 100 most influential engineers in Australia. In 2000 James was also awarded Young Queenslander of the Year and in 2001 was awarded Young Australian of the Year in Science and Technology.
James is passionate about the supporting role that young socially conscious businesspeople can play in society, and has been active in roles such as the Founding President of the International Young Professionals Foundation and Young Engineers Australia. He actively works towards communicating these views to the general community and makes regular appearances at industry conferences, schools and other events. James is also a panel member of the ABC Television show “The New Inventors” and is a member of the Federal Government’s National Environmental Education Council.
Phil O’Reilly Chief Executive Business NZ Phil O’Reilly is Chief Executive of New Zealand’s largest business advocacy organisation. He has a background in business, advocacy and communications in enterprises in New Zealand and Australia.
During the 1980s he was Industrial Advocate, Auckland Employers Association Inc. In 1990 he became Executive Director of the Newspaper Publishers Association of NZ. During this period he also served as Chairman of the NZ Advertising Standards Authority. In 2000 he was appointed Head of Employment Policy and Communication at Westpac Bank in Sydney before returning to New Zealand to his role at Business NZ.
Phil has an M.A. Hons in History from Auckland University, and has attended Stanford University and the Macquarie Graduate School of Management.
Lourdes Pangelinan Former Director-General Secretariat of the Pacific Community Lourdes Pangelinan is the former Director-General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the Pacific’s oldest regional organisation based in New Caledonia. She became the first woman to head a Pacific regional organisation (2000-2006), after having served four years as a deputy in the organisation responsible for the Social Resources Division.
Lourdes came to regional service in 1996 from the U.S. territory of Guam where for eight years she was Chief of Staff to the Governor of Guam. She also held senior management positions in the Legislative and Judicial Branches of the Government. Her experience includes program work at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and in journalism as a political reporter for Pacific Daily News prior to moving to government.
She obtained her degree in International Relations at the University of California in Davis in 1976, which included one academic year at the Universities of Bordeaux and Pau.
Fa'amatuainu Tino Pereira Journalist and broadcaster Fa'amatuainu Tino Pereira is a well-known journalist, broadcaster and consultant based in New Zealand. A Samoan matai (family and village chief) with strong links back to Samoa, he has had leadership responsibilities in many Samoan and pan-Pacific organisations. Tino currently runs a consultancy business based in Wellington.
Tahu Potiki Chief Executive Officer Te Rünanga o Ngäi Tahu As Chief Executive Officer of Te Rünanga o Ngäi Tahu, Tahu is responsible for the effective and strategic management of all of Te Runanga’s operations. Te Rünanga o Ngäi Tahu was established by the Te Rünanga o Ngäi Tahu Act 1996 and head office is based in central Christchurch. The mission of Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu is to prudently manage the tribe’s collective assets and other taonga for the maximum benefit of this and future generations.
He was raised in the small coastal village of Karitane attending the local primary and high school before shifting to Christchurch to study at the Polytechnic as a fitter and turner. He worked as maintenance fitter in Dunedin during the late eighties and eventually changed careers to work in the general Maori development sector. Prior to his current role, Tahu has worked for many years in Maori development including Kaiarahi at Christchurch Polytechnic, Chairman of the Industry Training Organisation for Social Services, Maori mental health social worker and lecturer at Otago University. He also served as Chairman of the Board of the Ngäi Tahu Development Corporation before taking up his current position.
Tahu is passionate about Maori language and its revitalisation, is fluent in Maori language and presently sits on the board of Te Mangai Paho. He is an avid fan of southern history and Ngai Tahu whakapapa and is also a writer himself. He has been published in both English and Maori.
He currently resides in Christchurch with his partner Megan and they have just had their first child.
Lyn Russell Director The Human Dimension Lyn Russell is a consultant and educator whose skills are recognised across Australia and though parts of Central Africa and Fiji. Her background has been in community consultation, program development, teaching, group facilitation, conflict resolution and community work. Lyn has provided training, coaching and facilitation to a wide variety of teams and organisations with her main focus being on creating more effective, harmonious and respectful personal, work and community relationships. She is currently undertaking research towards her doctorate in Peace and Unity work in The Pacific.
Dame Meg Taylor DBE Vice President Compliance Adviser/Ombudsman for IFC/MIGA World Bank Group Meg Taylor is the Compliance Advisor/Ombudsman (CAO) for the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). She is the first to be appointed to this position in the World Bank Group.
Ms Taylor practiced law for many years in Papua New Guinea where she also served as a member of the Law Reform Commission. She was Papua New Guinea's ambassador to the United States from 1989 to 1994 and was also accredited to Mexico and Canada. She is co-founder and chairperson of Conservation Melanesia, a community-based conservation organisation working with communities on terrestrial and marine issues and founding member of Transparency International Papua New Guinea. She has served on the boards of directors of several private sector companies in Papua New Guinea in the natural resources, financial, and agricultural sectors. She has also served as a board member of the World Wildlife Fund-USA and of the World Resources Institute, and a member of the World Forestry Commission.
Ms Taylor received an LL.B. degree from Melbourne University, Australia in 1974 and an LL.M. degree from Harvard University in 1986.
Paul Tovua Chairman National Peace Council, Solomon Islands Paul Tovua OBE, CSI is Chairman of the National Peace Council in the Solomon Islands and also Chairs the Electoral Commission.
Mr Tovua has had a distinguished political career and was first elected to Parliament in 1976. He is a former Minister for Natural Resources, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister of Economic Planning and Speaker of the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands. He is a former President of ACP, was Co-Chairman of the CMC in 2000, Chairman of the PMC from 2000 to 2002 as well as Chairman of the Intervention Task Force. He was a member of the Commonwealth Observer Group that monitored elections in Pakistan in 1993 and South Africa in 1994 and 1999.
Paul Tovua was educated in the Solomons, Australia, PNG and Fiji and is a former rugby union player, having represented the Solomon Islands in the 1969 South Pacific Games.
Ms Sue Vardon AO Chief Executive South Australian Department for Families and Communities Sue Vardon is the Chief Executive of South Australia’s Department for Families and Communities. She was formerly the Chief Executive Officer of Centrelink, having been the inaugural head of the Commonwealth Service Delivery Agency which became Centrelink at its establishment in 1997. She has been a Chief Executive Officer for more than 20 years.
Ms Vardon has extensive experience in Community Services, Correctional Services, Public Employment and Public Sector Reform. She has also had broad experience in the field of social work and local government, particularly in New South Wales, and was the inaugural Telstra Business Woman of the Year.
She is a Member of the Administrative Review Council reporting to the Federal Attorney-General, a Member of the Council of the University of South Australia, a Member of the International Panel of Experts for South Africa Social Security Agency and Adjunct Professor of the University of South Australia.
Dr Merv Wilkinson Senior Project Officer Indigenous Education Leadership Institute, Queensland Dr Merv Wilkinson is a teacher, leadership and change management consultant to the education, community and corporate sectors. He was born “under a coconut tree” on an idyllic tropical island, Samarai, in the Milne Bay District of Papua. He is the eldest of a family of five, of Australian and Papuan mixed race heritage. As such he identifies strongly across cultures with all Indigenous, migrant as well as so-called “mainstream” Australians. Merv Wilkinson has worked as a consultant in his own business, Catalyst of Change Consulting Group, with a diverse group of public and private institutions. He has also been a lecturer, researcher, evaluator of Royal Commissions and consultant with a number of school systems around Australia and internationally. As a primary, secondary and tertiary educator he has worked extensively in southern States and a number of Queensland universities in the Faculties of Education, Indigenous Studies and Management Schools of Business. Currently Merv works out of the Indigenous Education Leadership Institute as a Senior Project Officer and Projects Manager. His focus is on developing programs for leaders, researching strategies for better teaching in Indigenous schools and classrooms and running Indigenous Leadership courses for diverse groups. His research, writing and consulting interests are based upon the transitions of change in organisations and the adult learning and leadership required to make change happen. Merv has a Masters degree from Canberra University and a PhD from Queensland University.
Emeritus Professor Di Yerbury AO Macquarie University Chair, EPLD Program Committee Di Yerbury, Chair of the EPLD Program Committee, was Vice-Chancellor of Macquarie University, Sydney Jan 1987 – Feb 2006. She was the first woman to hold such a position in an Australian University. Similarly in 1974 she was the first woman First Assistant Secretary in the Australian Public Service. She was President of the Australian Vice-Chancellor’s Committee 2004-05, and NSW Telstra Businesswoman of the Year 2002-03.
Professor Yerbury has held many prominent positions in international education. Having been Australia’s nominee on the Council of the University of the South Pacific, 1997-2001, she is currently Regional Chair (South Pacific) of the International Association of University Presidents, and a member of the Council of the University of Fiji.
Previously CEO of the Australia Council, Australia’s arts policy and funding body, 1984-86, she is active in several arts and cultural organisations, and has an outstanding collection of Australian Indigenous Art.
Frank Yourn Executive Director Australia Fiji Business Council Australia PNG Business Council Frank Yourn has, since 1998, been Executive Director of the Australia Fiji Business Council, and more recently concurrently also Executive Director of the Australia Papua New Guinea Business Council (since 2001).
Previously he spent 27 years in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, during which time he served in Australian diplomatic missions in Egypt, Japan, The Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Fiji as well as holding down a range of senior appointments in the head office of the Department in Canberra and in the Victorian State Office in Melbourne.
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