Who we are
The NZ Transport Agency is a Crown entity governed by a statutory board.
We are made up of highly experienced people drawn from an expansive range of skills, including planners and policy analysts, engineers, business advisors, contract specialists, IT, legal, property and financial professionals.
Meet our board and find out about its functions
Find out more about our legal framework
Our structure
We are structured into six business groups:
- Strategy, Communications and Performance– maps and sets the organisation’s destination, making sure it is aligned with the government’s direction, and monitors that we’re on the right track.
- Planning and Investment– works with local government on planning and investing in an integrated transport system.
- Highways and Network Operation s – builds, maintains and operates the state
thestatehighway network. - Access and Use– provides services such as driver licences and motor
asdriver licencesandmotorvehicle registration,and regulates transport operators. - Organisational Support– provides the organisation with information services, finance, legal, assurance and risk, and corporate support services.
- People and Capability– ensures our people are supported and motivated so we can deliver on our goals.
View a diagram of our organisational structure
Meet our Senior Leadership Team
Managing our business is our Senior Leadership Team (SLT), made up of our chief executive, six group managers and four regional directors.
Fergus Gammie, Chief Executive
Fergus is a former Chief Executive of Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA), Chief Operating Officer of Auckland Transport, Deputy Director General Transport Services of Transport for New South Wales and was Deputy Secretary Infrastructure & Services with the same organisation. In this latter capacity he was responsible for leading a team of 1,450 staff, managing an annual operating budget of A$5 billion and infrastructure and systems projects totalling A$11 billion over the next four years.
Group managers
Jenny Chetwynd, Group Manager Strategy, Communications and Performance
Jenny started her current role on 30 June 2014. Previously, she was Regional Director Central, a position she held since joining the Transport Agency in 2008. Jenny has previously been Manager of Environmental Strategy for Transpower, and held policy and planning roles with the Porirua and Hutt City councils, the Ministry for the Environment and Boffa Miskell, an environmental planning consultancy.
Celia Patrick, Group Manager Access and Use
Celia joined the Transport Agency in October 2011. She brought with her more than 20 years experience working in the financial services sector, including various executive roles with the Bank of New Zealand. Celia has also worked for Housing New Zealand as Director of Operations for Auckland. She has a graduate diploma in business and an MBA.
Allan Frost, Group Manager Organisational Support
Allan was previously Chief Financial Officer and subsequently Chief Information Officer for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, where he also sat on the ministry's management executive board. He has considerable experience in change, information services and financial management, and how to use them effectively to support business delivery. Allan is a chartered accountant by profession.
Tommy Parker, Group Manager Highways and Network Operations
Tommy has been with the Transport Agency since 2008 and was with Transit NZ for four years prior to that. He has held various roles including Highways Manager for Auckland and Northland. He has a BA (Hons) in urban planning and a diploma in urban planning implementation from the University of Westminster, and an MSc in transportation planning and engineering from the University of Salford. Tommy has over 20 years' experience in transport planning in both the public sector and private consultancy.
Dave Brash, Group Manager Planning and Investment
Dave joined the Transport Agency in December 2008 from the Treasury, where he was General Manager of the Emissions Trading group, leading the development of New Zealand's emissions trading scheme. This role was a two-year secondment from the Ministry for the Environment, where he was the general manager responsible for working with central government. He has more than 23 years experience working with central and local government agencies on complex policy reforms and putting them in place. He has considerable experience in the management of change. Dave has a BSc (Hons) in geography – specialising in hydrology and computer science.
Cathy De Jongh, Acting Group Manager People and Capability
Cathy joined the Transport Agency in February 2013 from Inland Revenue where she held various People and Capability roles, including Organisational Development Advisor, Learning & Development Consultant, Manager Strategy and Information and most recently five years as Principal Advisor Strategic Workforce Planning.
Cathy has a strong track record in strategic thinking, organizational development and planning for future workforce requirements. Cathy was instrumental in developing the Transport Agency People Plan and is passionate about ensuring that we build the culture and people engagement necessary to create a high performing organisation. Cathy has a Bachelor of Administration from Griffith University in Brisbane and a Graduate Diploma in Human Resources from Massey University.
Regional directors
Ernst Zöllner, Regional Director Auckland/Northland
Ernst is a strategist, economist and urban planner with a passion for transport. Ernst joined the Transport Agency in 2008 as Group Manager Strategy, Communications and Performance. Hewas appointed to his current role in 2014.
Previously, Ernst worked at Wellington City Council for over a decade in senior leadership roles in strategy, economic development, urban development and transport. During his career he has also lectured on infrastructure planning and urban economics at the University of Auckland, worked at Local Government NZ and as a consultant in private practice in Auckland, Wellington, Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Raewyn Bleakley, Regional Director Central
Raewyn joined the Transport Agency in October 2014 after two years as the Chief Executive of Business Central and Wellington Employers' Chamber of Commerce. From 2008 until 2012, she was CEO of Bus and Coach Association and Rental Vehicle Association, and before that was national operations manager for the Hospitality Association of New Zealand.
Raewyn has a strong background in leading and managing employer membership organisations as well as a valuable working knowledge of the transport sector and the broader business community throughout the central region. She brings significant commercial sector and operational management experience along with extensive stakeholder management experience.
Raewyn has a Bachelor’s degree majoring in human nutrition and a post-graduate diploma of science from Otago University.
Jim Harland, Regional Director Southern
Jim joined the Transport Agency in February 2011 after 11 years as Chief Executive of Dunedin City Council. Before this he held senior roles in local government and the private sector, specialising in strategic thinking and change management. He was a tourism consultant for a number of years and initiated a tourism planning course at Auckland University. The World Health Organisation has used Jim's expertise in understanding and leading communities on several occasions to further their Healthy Cities Initiative.
He holds a Masters (Hons) in town planning, a diploma in town planning from Auckland University and a BA in geography from the University of Canterbury. He is also a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management and a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors and the New Zealand Planning Institute.
Harry Wilson, Regional Director Waikato/Bay of Plenty
Harry joined the Transport Agency in October 2008 and is the organisation’s key contact with local government and other stakeholders and partners in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty. He isalso the freight portfolio director for the Transport Agency nationally, a role which helps ensure that freight initiatives are as integrated and coordinated as they can be.
Harry was previously the Chief Executive of Environment Waikato (2003–08, now Waikato Regional Council) and Group Manager Resource Use (1998–2003). Previous management roles have been with the Ministry of Social Development and IHC.