Workplace Health and Safety Council Membership

Hon Kate Wilkinson is a National list MP based in Rangiora. She was elected to Parliament in 2005 and appointed to Cabinet in 2008.

Her current portfolios are:

• Minister of Labour
• Minister for Food Safety
• Associate Minister of Immigration
• Associate Minister of Conservation

Hon Dr Nick Smith entered Parliament in 1990 as the member for Tasman and since 1996 has been the MP for Nelson. He was appointed to his current position in Cabinet in 2008. He  was a Minister in the previous National Government he has held the portfolios of Education, Corrections, Conservation, Assoc Minister of Immigration, Treaty Negotiations and Social Welfare.

His current portfolios are:

• Minster for the Environment
• Minster for Climate Change Issues
• Minister for ACC

Phil O’Reilly is Chief Executive of Business NZ, New Zealand’s largest business advocacy organisation. Phil has a background in business, advocacy and communications in enterprises in New Zealand and Australia.

During the 1980s he was Industrial Advocate, Auckland Employers Association Inc. In 1990 he became Executive Director of the Newspaper Publishers Association of NZ. During this period he also served as Chairman of the NZ Advertising Standards Authority. In 2000 he was appointed Head of Employment Policy and Communication at Westpac Bank in Sydney before returning to New Zealand to his role at Business NZ.

Phil has an M.A. Hons in History from Auckland University, and has attended Stanford University and the Macquarie Graduate School of Management.

Some of the responsibilities Phil fulfils as Business NZ Chief Executive include involvement in international employer issues through the International Labour Organisation and International Organisation of Employers; membership of the Ministerial Advisory Group on Trade, Trade Liberalisation Network, Hui Taumata Maori Business Network, Wellington Institute of Technology Council, Massey University Advisory Board, Employment Relations Forum, Business Capability Partnership Steering Committee, Export Year Reference Group, and many others.

Helen Kelly was elected CTU president at the biennial conference in 2007. She had been CTU Vice President since September 2003.

She has a long history in the union movement, primarily in the education sector, as an organiser for the Association of University Staff and holding several positions including Assistant Secretary in the New Zealand Educational Institute. Within NZEI she played a prominent role in the pay parity campaign for kindergarten and primary teachers. Helen became the general secretary of AUS in June 2002, a role she held until becoming CTU president.

Helen trained as a teacher and has an LLB from Victoria University. Her CTU responsibilities include economic development, employment law, climate change, social partnership, ACC and pay and employment equity. She co-chairs the Workplace Health and Safety Council.

Helen is responsible for CTU international work through the International Trade Union Congress and the International Labour Organisation.

Andrew Casidy has 20 years of experience as a union official and advocate on behalf of employees on employment issues. He manages health and safety in a workplace as an employer, as well as dealing with health and safety issues as a union official, in campaigns promoting various issues of interest to unions and their members, and as a union official representing staff in ACC Partnership Health and Safety structures.

Andrew has a broad and deep knowledge of health and safety issues in clerical occupations.

Andrew is a member of both the Union Network International (UNI) Asia Pacific and World Finance Steering Groups.

Paul Jarvie has been involved for many years with injury rehabilitation work, and providing health and safety services to companies. He has a wide range of experience with health and safety issues in a diverse range of industry sectors from banking, to mining and heavy engineering.

He has been involved with training of workers and managers in health and safety issues, and has also been involved in the professional training of health and safety practitioners.

He has been involved in the development of different guidelines, codes of practice, and educational materials and programmes.

He has played a leading role in professional development and conduct of people working in health and safety professions.

Panu Raea has a background and experience in town planning, working as a barrister and solicitor, health and safety consultant, and as a senior executive in a multi-national forestry company. He holds the qualifications of Master of Laws (Hons), Bachelor of Town Planning, Diploma of Project Management and has also completed the Senior Executive Programme at London Business School. Panu was also awarded the Senior Law prize in Maori Land Law in 1991.

Panu’s experience as a senior executive with Carter Holt Harvey Ltd has included experience as a Chief Executive, General Manager, and in-house Legal Counsel. He has expertise in health, safety and environment management and performance improvement, asset and business risk management, Government relations, change management, strategic development, training and development of staff, and acquisitions, mergers, and disposal of companies.

He has skills across the corporate management field, including strategic planning, finance, marketing, and human relations. He has experience in leadership and he has been involved in coaching, mentoring and people development. His role as a health, safety and environment general manager has also included managing workers compensation and self insurance schemes. In this role Panu has also built relationships with Maori and has managed negotiations with Maori being one of the single largest stakeholders in relation to forestry lands in New Zealand.

Panu is of Cook Island descent. He was recognised as the Pacific Business Leader of the year in 2003.

Fritz Drissner is the Health and Safety Co-ordinator for the EPMU and has been working for the union for over 10 years.

Originally from Germany Fritz has twenty years experience in health social work, rehabilitation and health and safety training. He possess a wealth of knowledge regarding health and safety practice in New Zealand.

He has a BA from Auckland University and a Graduate Diploma in Occupational Health from Massey University.