Former government chief adviser joins Nikau Foundation Board

Former government chief adviser joins Nikau Foundation Board

A former chief adviser to the Government, John Allen has recently been appointed to the board of the Wellington regional charity the Nikau Foundation.

The Nikau Foundation is a charity in the community foundation model which raises funds locally to support a wide variety of projects in the greater Wellington region - including arts, education, sport, social causes, environmental and building restoration projects. In this model the capital stays intact and the interest is given out in perpetuity.

Mr Allen is currently Chief Executive of the New Zealand Racing Board and has been in this role since March 2015, having previously held the role of Chief Executive and Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade since July 2009.

He was the Government’s chief adviser on foreign and trade policy, official development assistance, international law, and diplomatic and consular issues.

Prior to joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Allen was Chief Executive of New Zealand Post.

A former partner at the law firm Rudd Watts & Stone, Mr Allen has also been a visiting lecturer in law at Victoria University. He is also trustee of several other organisations including the New Zealand Book Council and New Zealand International Arts Festival and is chair of the Be Accessible Trust – a group aimed at making all spaces accessible to all people.
Mr Allen said that he wanted to be a trustee for the Nikau Foundation because he had spent all his working life in Wellington and knew what philanthropy could do to help make a difference to the city, its region and the people who live here.
“I want to be part of a team encouraging this,” he said.

ENDS

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