New Zealand boards

There are four main sectors that have organisations with governance boards.

Business sector

The business sector is profit-driven and these governance roles are typically paid. Appointments are made by shareholders, but often led by directors. The appointment process is highly competitive, particularly for businesses that are national in scale or listed on the New Zealand stock exchange.

Government sector

As the stakeholders for these boards are generally taxpayers and New Zealand citizens, government boards are driven by public good considerations. There is a requirement for members of government boards to work in within a legal framework e.g. compliance with the Crown Entities Act. These roles are remunerated, but not as well paid as business. Appointments are usually made by Ministers or the Governor-General.

Māori sector

Boards are generally led by and work for the good of iwi and hapū. Roles are either paid or voluntary, and appointments made by iwi/hapū.

Not-for-profit/Community sector

These boards are generally formed for the purpose of serving the public good and cover all sectors, including sports, arts, conservation, environment, heritage, health, youth, humanitarian and more. Governance roles are often unpaid. Despite this, governance roles can be challenging and are a good entry point for learning about governance and further developing governance experiences. Appointments are usually endorsed by membership at AGMs/elections.