Hon Lianne Dalziel
Minister of Commerce, Minister for Small Business,
Minister of Women’s Affairs, MP for Christchurch East

14 September 2006 Media Statement

Westlake re-appointed to Standards Council chair

Commerce Minister Lianne Dalziel today announced the re-appointment of Richard Westlake as a member and Chair of the Standards Council for a term of three years.

Richard Westlake has been a director on many state sector boards and is a governance and strategy consultant.

“Mr Westlake has capably chaired the Council since his first appointment in 2003 and I am confident that he will continue to do well and take the Council forward as the government undertakes a review of New Zealand’s standards and conformance infrastructure,” Lianne Dalziel said.

Richard Westlake also chairs Better Border Biosecurity, a research programme under the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, and is chair of Textiles New Zealand Inc. He is a director of Kiwibank Ltd and Wellington Water Management. He has previously chaired two state-owned enterprises, Quotable Value Ltd, and Meteorological Service of New Zealand Ltd, and was deputy chair of the Crown research institute, GNS Science.

The Standards Council’s primary functions are to develop standards, and to promote, encourage and facilitate the use of standards, which benefit all New Zealanders by improving safety, quality, prosperity and convenience.

Standards are developed across a wide range of sectors – including building, engineering, health and disability, electricity and gas – by committees of expert representatives, who voluntarily contribute knowledge and expertise. Professional and consumer bodies are able to nominate members to the Council ensuring a broad representation of membership.

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Attachment: Role of the Council and Current Membership

Role of the Standards Council
The Council is a user-funded Crown entity established under the Standards Act 1988. Its primary functions are to develop standards, and to promote, encourage and facilitate the use of standards in New Zealand with the object of:

- improving the quality of goods and services;
- promoting standardisation in industry, trade and commerce while encouraging industrial development;
- encouraging and facilitating industrial development, trade, or commerce; and
- promoting public and occupational safety, health and welfare.

Appointment of Members to the Council
The Standards Act requires the Council to have up to twelve members of whom:

- up to four members may be appointed by the Minister of Commerce; and
- up to eight members may be appointed by the Minister of Commerce from nominations made by professional or consumer bodies listed in the Act.

In appointing members of the Council, the Minister must have regard to candidates’ knowledge of, and experience in, management and the development and use of standards.

Current Membership
Members can be appointed for a term not exceeding three years and may be re-appointed. The Council is currently comprised of:

- Richard Westlake as Chair
- John Albertson as Deputy Chair
- Richard Gibbons
- John Hannah
- Dr Sharon Kletchko
- Vivian Kloosterman
- Ellen Ramsay
- Vaughan Renner
- Carol Stigley
- Michael Wallmannsberger

Further information on Standards New Zealand, the trading arm of the Council, can be found at www.standards.co.nz.

ENDS

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