Waikato District Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Conder to the role of chief financial officer (CFO), effective from 15 December 2025.

Paul is a chartered accountant and chartered director with extensive financial management experience across local and central government organisations, and education, health and energy sectors.

Paul’s local government experience includes acting CFO at Wellington City Council (2022-23) and Hamilton City Council (2014-15). He was also an independent member of the New Plymouth District Council Finance Audit and Risk Committee (2024-2025) and Auckland City Council’s Audit and Risk Committee (2014-2022).

More recently, he was CEO of All Green Lights Limited, a management consulting, mentoring and contract CFO company.

For the past three months Paul has been acting CFO at Waikato District Council, and he is excited to now be joining the organisation in a permanent role.

“I’m proud to lead the finance team, working together to be a high-performing unit and trusted partners to our business and the communities we serve.

“There are many challenges ahead in local government, and as CFO it’s my role to assist the mayor, councillors, and the chief executive in enabling Waikato District Council to capture the opportunities that come from both population and economic growth.”

Waikato District Council chief executive Craig Hobbs was pleased Paul had enjoyed his time in the Waikato District so much that he has chosen to take up the CFO role.

“As one of the biggest provincial councils, and one of the highest growth districts in New Zealand, we want Waikato District Council to be a benchmark for local government.

“We are excited to have someone of Paul’s calibre and experience join us on that journey.”

Outside of work, Paul enjoys spending time with his wife, Ruth and their family, including five mokopuna.

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