New Chief Executive of the Families Commission announced

The interim Chief Commissioner of the Families Commission Belinda Milnes is delighted to announce that Clare Ward has been appointed to the position of Chief Executive of the Families Commission.

The new role of the Families Commission’s is to inform and influence those who make, fund or deliver social policy using quality evidence-based research about what works best for New Zealand families and whānau.

Clare Ward has been a Deputy Government Statistician at Statistics New Zealand for over five years. Prior to this she has held senior leadership roles in the social policy and tertiary education sector.

Belinda Milnes says, “This is a pivotal appointment for the Families Commission as it enters a new era with new legislation and a much wider mandate across the whole social sector.”

Under new legislation the Families Commission is setting up the new Social Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (SuPERU) to manage large research contracts, make research more accessible and usable, evaluate programmes and policies and to increase the evaluation capability across the public and private sector.

Ms Milnes says, “The Board were also impressed with Clare’s strong academic background in social research methods which give additional robustness to the Families Commission’s work”.

“Clare has a great track record of successful leadership in strategic and policy roles in complex change environments. She also has a clear vision for the organisation and how it can play a critical role in informing policy and decision-making.”

Clare Ward takes up the position in mid-June.

ENDS

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