NZPECC Team

NZPECC Board Members are active in developing ideas for, and leading, the NZPECC work programme. The Board Members are:

Dr Alan Bollard CNZM; PhD Auck; FRSNZ:  Chair

Professor of Pacific Region Business at Victoria University of Wellington, and inaugural Chair for Pacific Region Business. Alan is also the Chair of the Infrastructure Commission, Chair of the cross-university Centres for Asia-Pacific Excellence, and Chair of the New Zealand Portrait Gallery. He is NZ Governor of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, and was on the Organising Committee for NZ APEC 2021. He is a Director of China Construction Bank (NZ).
Previously, Alan was the Director of the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research 1987-1994; Chairman of the New Zealand Commerce Commission from 1994 to 1998; and was the Secretary to the Treasury between 1998 and 2020.
Between 2002 and 2012 Alan was the Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, responsible for monetary policy and bank regulation, helping steer New Zealand through the global financial crisis. Bollard became the Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat based in Singapore, the world’s largest regional body that promotes trade, investment and sustainable growth in the Asia-Pacific, serving from 2012 to 2018.
He wrote a best-selling account of the GFC called Crisis: One Central Bank Governor and the Global Financial Collapse. He has published several novels: The Rough Mechanical and The Code-cracker and the Tai Chi Dancer. He has also written a biography of famous economist Bill Phillips, and a popular economics book Economists at War. A sequel, Economists in the Cold War, is due out shortly.
In 2012 he was honoured as a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. He is a Fellow of the NZ Royal Society. He also has honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Auckland and Massey University.

Dr Rob Scollay: Honorary Associate Professor in the Economics Department at the University of Auckland 

Former Director of the New Zealand APEC Study Centre. Rob has a long history of contributing research and policy analysis to the APEC process and also to the work of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC), including as international coordinator of PECC’s Trade Policy Forum for several years. His recent research and publications have focused heavily on regional trade agreements and regional economic integration initiatives, including APEC, the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the proposed Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), as well as multilateral liberalisation and the global trade architecture. Dr Scollay has also undertaken consultancies for the World Bank, UNCTAD, ESCAP, Asian Development Bank, Inter American Development Bank, Commonwealth Secretariat, the ASEAN Secretariat, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, and the Asia New Zealand Foundation, as well as various agencies of the New Zealand and Australian governments.

Rory McLeod: Policy Consultant

Rory McLeod is an independent consultant, working mostly on APEC issues. Until recently he was a Lead Advisor in the APEC Policy Team of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and worked on New Zealand’s hosting of APEC in 2022. Prior to that he was a Policy Director in the New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. His last responsibilities in that role covered policy advice on international economic issues, intellectual property and competition policy. Rory held several other roles in the Ministry including stints as Manager of the Standards and Sustainability Policy Group, the Intellectual Property and Competition Policy Teams and the Trade Remedies Group. Rory was Chair of APEC’s Economic Committee from 2014 to 2017. Rory also acted as New Zealand’s Lead IP Negotiator during the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations.

Prof Susy Frankel: Victoria University, Wellington

Dr Tracey Epps: International Lawyer and Trade Policy Consultant

Tracey is an international lawyer and trade policy consultant based in Wellington, New Zealand. Dr Epps has extensive experience working in international trade law and policy, and has worked across academia, government and private practice. She has worked on a wide range of trade and investment issues.
From 2010 to 2016, she was New Zealand’s lead Legal Counsel for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. She was a member of the arbitration panel in the valuation phase of the WTO dispute between the European Union and the United States over subsidisation of the large civil aircraft industry (United States – Large Civil Aircraft).
From 2016 to 2021, Tracey headed the International Trade Law Practice at Chapman Tripp, a leading New Zealand law firm, working for both public and private sector clients. She teaches international trade and investment law for the Faculty of Law at the University of Otago. Tracey holds a BA/LLB(Hons) from the University of Auckland and an LLM and SJD from the University of Toronto.

Pania Tyson-Nathan: Ceo of Maori Tourism

Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Kahungunu
Pania Tyson-Nathan is the Chief Executive of New Zealand Māori Tourism (NZMT) but has been involved in Māori business and economic development for 30+ years. During her tenure, revenue from the Māori tourism sector increased from $137m to $1.2b, with NZMT becoming a key contributor and influencer across tourism, trade and investment.
Whilst Pania possesses many skills, it is her ability to forge meaningful relationships that has seen her connect with countries throughout the Asia-Pacific and help lead joint ventures.
Prior to her time with NZMT, Pania has served as director of the NZ APEC Business Coalition before going on to become the focal point for New Zealand’s APEC Women Leaders Network.
Pania, on behalf of the Maori Tourism sector has been awarded:
2018
Member of New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM)
2019
Māori Women Business Leader
2020
Te Tupu-ā-Nuku Award for Business and Innovation
2022
Business Hall of Fame
2022
In 2022, the title of Toluma’anave was bestowed upon Pania from the village of Satapuala, Samoa

Wendy Matthews: Divisional Manager  New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Wendy is a career diplomat, with previous postings to Ha Noi as Ambassador (2016-2020), New Delhi as Deputy High Commissioner (2011-2014) and Beijing (2005- 2006).
Wendy’s previous roles have included trade negotiation responsibilities, advice on international legal affairs and managing New Zealand’s participation in political, security and economic regional for a such as APEC, ASEAN Regional Forum and East Asia Summit. Wendy graduated from the University of Otago with Bachelor of Law (Hons) and a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science). Wendy speaks Mandarin.

Robyn Henderson: Policy Director MBIE

Robyn Henderson has worked in a range of different policy areas since joining the Ministry of Economic Development in 2003. She is currently a Policy Director in the Science, Innovation and International branch of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, following stints as a Policy Director in the Digital Economy and Economic Development policy areas of the Ministry. Robyn has previously managed policy teams working on industry policy, just transitions, media and broadcasting, and tourism. Prior to joining MED, Robyn worked in financial research roles in London, Singapore and Melbourne. She has a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Canterbury.

Yvonne Lucas: Executive Director