New Appointments to Charities Registration Board Strengthen Governance and Decision-Making

Julie Hardaker and Leighton Evans have been appointed to the Charities Registration Board, Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Louise Upston says.

I would like to welcome the new members joining the Charities Registration Board. They bring excellent legal and regulatory expertise in the administration of trusts, foundations and other philanthropic entities as well as strong governance and executive experience.

The appointments and promotion will strengthen the Board’s capacity to make balanced and timely decisions, ensuring it can continue to operate effectively even in complex situations.

I’d also like to congratulate Jane Wrightson on her promotion to chair of the Board. Ms Wrightson will be replacing outgoing chair Gwendoline Keel.

I look forward to working with the new members as they begin their terms and I would like to thank the outgoing members of the Board Gwendoline Keel and Roger Miller, for their contribution to the work of the Board and the wider charities sector. Ms Upston says.

The Charities Registration Board is an independent body responsible for decisions about the registration and deregistration of charitable entities. There are over 28,000 registered charities in New Zealand.

Julie Hardaker is a lawyer and company director. Ms Hardaker has a very good understanding of the importance of a regulatory and legal framework for the sector’s continued operation. This understanding comes from her legal work which requires evidence-based decision making in legal, quasi-judicial and regulatory environments.

Leighton Evans is the Chief Executive of the Rata Foundation and has very well-developed governance and decision making experience. He also has a good understanding of the group decision making processes and the need for decisions to be bias free. Through his role as a Justice of the Peace where he has made decisions in the Traffic Court, he has a good understanding of the interpretation of regulations and the law.

Jane Wrightson was appointed to the Board in 2025 and has good experience and skills in quasi-judicial and wider statutory decision making. Her promotion to the Chair of the Board will bring skills in balancing competing tensions and applying a principled and practical lens to legal frameworks and complex problems.