Media release
13 March 2013

Auckland Council CFO takes top NZ honours

Auckland Council’s Chief Finance Officer, Andrew McKenzie, was last night announced chief finance officer of the year at the 2013 New Zealand CFO Summit Awards.

Award judges considered Mr McKenzie an astute CFO who thinks strategically and executes successfully because he is in tune with the local government environment, economic realities and human capital support that is required to deliver results.

“It’s a privilege to be named CFO of the year alongside two other highly regarded finalists,” says Mr McKenzie.

“The award acknowledges the work of everyone at Auckland Council and reflects the passion and commitment of our staff and elected members.”

Judges said that the scale and complexity of Mr McKenzie’s task in managing the financial integration of the eight separate councils into the single Auckland Council was without parallel in New Zealand.

“The amalgamation of Auckland Council was a massive task, but we had a continual focus on reducing costs to ratepayers for existing services, which has already saved $131 million in our first two years of operation,” said Mr McKenzie.

Auckland Council’s sound financial management practices have been acknowledged by both the Auditor-General and the major credit rating agencies in their evaluation of council’s performance and credit worthiness respectively.

The annual awards, held at Auckland’s Langham Hotel, celebrate and recognise individuals and teams who have made a difference to the financial community. More information on the awards can be found here: http://cfoawards.co.nz/

Last year Auckland Council’s Treasurer Mark Butcher won the KangaNews New Zealand Treasurer of the Year for the second year in a row.

Ends

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