17 February 2021
LGOIMA No. 8140008011
(Please quote this in any correspondence)
Simon Black
By email
: [FYI request #14512 email]
Tēnā koe Simon
Local Government Official Information And Meetings Act 1987
Organisational chart and conventions units
I refer to your request for information, which we received on 22 January 2021, about
Auckland Unlimited organisation chart and conventions units under the newly formed
company.
The details of your request and our response is below.
1. I would like to request the organisational chart as of January 2021 of the newly
merged organisation (Auckland Unlimited) that was formally RFA & ATEED and
if possible with the name associated with each position.
Auckland Unlimited Ltd does not yet have an organisation chart available.
The Auckland Council-controlled organisation became a legal entity on 1 December 2020.
Due to the pace at which the merger had to be undertaken, the new organisation’s
development began with governance (a new Board appointed by Auckland Council) and
senior leadership, with Chief Executive Nick Hill appointed to start in the role on 1
December.
A temporary transition structure is in place – with the Chief Executive and four other senior
staff confirmed in roles (see below). All other staff from the former CCOs Auckland Tourism,
Events & Economic Development (ATEED) and Regional Facilities Auckland (RFA) remain
in their previous positions, pending the final organisation structure being determined.
In parallel with the Board-led development of Auckland Unlimited’s strategy, work is
beginning on merging the two organisations into one efficient entity structure that will best
meet Council’s clear priorities and deliver value to ratepayers. This work will accelerate and
expand in the next few months, with a target date for a new structure of 1 July (the new
financial year).
Auckland Unlimited’s temporary transition confirmed positions:
• Nick Hill – Chief Executive
• Lynn Johnson – Chief People Officer
• Brian Monk – interim Chief Financial Officer
Private Bag 92300, Auckland 1142 |
aucklandcouncil.govt.nz |
Ph 09 301 0101
Roles relating to the temporary transition structure:
• Jonathan Wilcken to lead ongoing work programmes previously undertaken by RFA
• Pam Ford to lead ongoing work programmes previously undertaken by ATEED.
2. Also, I would like to know an overview of what Auckland Convention Bureau
and Auckland Conventions Venues & Events are as business units under
Auckland Unlimited and how the clear conflict of interest between the
Auckland Convention Bureau and Auckland Conventions Venues & Events is
managed and handled by operating under the same organisation.
Auckland Conventions Bureau (ACB) is a membership-based provider of support to
organisations wanting to bring business events to Auckland, helping with bids and all other
planning; it also markets Auckland as a business events destination alongside the other
parts of Auckland Unlimited’s Major Events team.
Auckland Conventions is the brand name for the business unit sitting alongside Auckland
Live, which was formerly part of RFA and is now within Auckland Unlimited.
Auckland Conventions markets and sells events (primarily conventions, meetings, dinners)
into Auckland Unlimited-owned and operated venues including Aotea Centre, The Civic,
Auckland Town Hall, Bruce Mason Centre, Queens Wharf, Auckland Zoo, Auckland Art
Gallery, Mount Smart, Western Springs and North Harbour Stadium.
Events are operationally delivered by Auckland Live.
Auckland Conventions has for some time been a member of ACB, and it has been part of
ACB’s process to ensure Auckland Conventions has been treated the same as any other
member with venues suitable for hosting business events. Since the merger on 1 December,
this remains the case.
The reporting lines for Auckland Conventions and ACB have remained separate since 1
December – within the same structures as existed prior to the merger.
Auckland Conventions has its own sales and marketing team reporting to the Director,
Auckland Live. Following the resignation of the former Head of ACB to take up a private
sector role, effective 25 January the ACB team reports to the Head of Major Events (ex-
ATEED), which formally brings the ACB’s work with the Major Events team closer together in
a shared approach to the region’s events growth.
The transition process in the coming months will include a decision about how the current
ACB and Auckland Conventions units are integrated into the full new Auckland Unlimited
structure from 1 July.
As requested by the independent CCO Review Panel, the Boards and chief executives of
ATEED and RFA presented to the panel in August 2020 a joint memorandum titled
Implications of merging ATEED and RFA. There is one section under ‘Issues to be
resolved’ which refers to “perceptions of conflict of interest” in the wider events space and
mentions some ways to address perceived conflicts. The memorandum is publicly available
and can be found here:
Private Bag 92300, Auckland 1142 |
aucklandcouncil.govt.nz |
Ph 09 301 0101
https://infocouncil.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/Open/2020/08/GB_20200827_AGN_9664_AT.PD
F
Please refer to Item 11 Proposal to merge Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic
Development and Regional Facilities Auckland, Attachment B page 46 under Issues to be
resolved. Topic heading “
The trade-off between event attraction and event management will
need to be managed”.
The decision to release the information contained in this response was made by Lynn
Johnson, Auckland Unlimited Chief People Officer, Steve Armitage, General Manager
Destination and Paul Brewer, Chief Operating Officer.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review of this response by the Ombudsman.
Information about how to make a complaint is available
at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz
or freephone 0800 802 602.
If you have any questions please contact me on 09 301 0101, quoting LGOIMA No.
8140008011.
Ngā mihi
Fernanda Maciel
Senior Privacy & LGOIMA Business Partner
Governance Services
Private Bag 92300, Auckland 1142 |
aucklandcouncil.govt.nz |
Ph 09 301 0101
