Boards & Appointments

This section of COMU’s website provides information on:

• The role of Crown company boards; and
• How to apply to become a Crown company director.

Board appointments

Shareholding and responsible Ministers appoint boards to oversee the management of Crown companies. There are currently 289 director positions on boards across the companies we monitor, comprising state-owned enterprises, Crown research institutes, crown financial institutions, and other Crown entity companies and statutory entities.

COMU has no responsibility for appointments to the several hundred other non-commercial Government appointed boards and commissions. Click here for a list of other agencies that make appointments.

Boards are made up of people with a range of skills and from a variety of backgrounds. The current demographic breakdown of the boards of the companies that COMU monitors is as follows:

Director Breakdown by Gender and Ethnic Origin as at 1 August 2010

Ethnic Origin	Number	%
European male	168	58
European female	81	28
Māori male	17	6
Māori female	10	3.5
Pacific Island male	1	0.5
Pacific Island female	0	0
Other male	8	2.5
Other female	4	1.5
TOTAL	289	100

Director Breakdown by Place of Residence as at 1 August 2010

Place of Residence	Number	%
Northland/Auckland	101	35
Wellington	77	27
Canterbury	35	12
Otago/Southland	16	5.5
Waikato	16	5.5
Other North Island	27	9
Other South Island	8	3
Overseas	9	3
TOTAL	289	100

 

Every year, Ministers consider approximately one third of board positions. In many cases, incumbent directors will be reappointed. However, in general terms, Ministers will make between 50 - 60 new appointments each year.

A specialised team within COMU manages the director selection process and recommends candidates to Ministers.