Commerce Commission appointments

Commerce Minister Lianne Dalziel today announced two new appointments to the Commerce Commission.

“I am pleased to announce that Auckland business economist Donal Curtin has been appointed a member of the Commerce Commission and Wellington barrister Shaan Stevens as an associate member. Both appointments are for three years,” Lianne Dalziel said.

Donal Curtin

Donal Curtin has been an associate Commission member since January 2001 with responsibilities encompassing the network industries. He has extensive experience in analysing and forecasting the economic environment for investing, and in designing investment portfolios and analysing investments.

Mr Curtin has wide experience in applying economics to commercial decisions. After a variety of economist roles in his native Ireland, London, and Japan, Mr Curtin migrated to New Zealand in 1985, becoming the Bank of New Zealand's chief economist, and later heading the bank’s national financial adviser team. In 1999 he set up Auckland-based consultancy, Economics New Zealand, which specialises in providing insight into New Zealand financial markets, principally for institutional advisers. This year he became an advisor on monetary policy to the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee.

Shaan Stevens

Shaan Stevens, of Ngati Kahungunu and Ngati Raukawa descent, is a Wellington based practising barrister and chartered accountant. Since 1993 he has been the Executive Director of corporate advising firm Guinness Gallagher. He leads Guinness Gallagher’s Mâori practice team advising both Mâori and corporates on Mâori related issues. He has worked for the World Bank in Cambodia reviewing and designing a new telecommunications regulatory framework and has experience in the New Zealand electricity industry. Mr Stevens was also involved in the restructuring of the Sarawak Forest Department in Malaysia, a Guinness Gallagher project which earned a 1997 TRADENZ export award. Mr Stevens was previously based in London for Coopers Deloittes.

Note: Attachment

Role of the Commerce Commission

The Commission is a Crown entity established under the Commerce Act 1986. It is responsible for promoting and protecting competition and fair trade in New Zealand markets through its statutory enforcement and adjudication functions under the Commerce Act 1986, the Fair Trading Act 1986, the Electricity Industry Reform Act 1998, the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act 2001, and the Telecommunications Act 2001.

Appointment of Members

The Governor-General, on the recommendation of the Minister of Commerce, appoints the members of the Commission. The Commission must consist of not less than 6 and not more than 8 members. Three of the members must be barristers and solicitors. (Member Denese Bates and Cease and Desist Commissioners Fiona Bolwell and Terence Stapleton fulfil this criterion.)

A member vacancy has existed on the Commission since Mark Berry surrendered his warrant as deputy chair on 31 August 2001. Paula Rebstock, then a member, was appointed deputy chair on 1 October 2001, however, this still left the Commission with a vacancy. The appointment of Donal Curtin as a member will give the Commission the maximum number of members allowed under the Commerce Act.

Appointment of Associate Members

The Minister of Commerce may appoint any person to be an associate member of the Commission for a term of up to three years. There is no legislative limit on the number of associates the Minister can appoint. An associate has similar powers and functions as members but is appointed only in relation to a matter or a class of matters that are specified in their warrant of appointment. Associates may attend and vote only at a meeting of the Commission relating to their warrant. Besides Mr Stevens, the Commission has one other associate, Mr Donald Gilling.

© Scoop Media