Independent Non-Executive Director

About the Organisation

Counties Energy is a community-owned electricity distribution company in New Zealand. It operates the network that supplies Franklin and South Auckland, serving more than 50,000 customer connections across homes, businesses and industrial users.

Held by Counties Energy Trust on behalf of electricity consumers, the organisation balances commercial discipline with a long-term focus on stewardship and community benefit. It supports essential infrastructure in one of the country’s fastest-growing areas, including substantial residential, commercial and industrial growth in Drury, Paerata, Karaka, Pōkeno and the wider Franklin district.

The business is investing significantly in future network capacity, resilience and new energy solutions as electrification, distributed generation, electric vehicles and changing customer expectations reshape the sector.

About the Opportunity

Counties Energy is looking to appoint an Independent Non-Executive Director to join its Board.

This appointment replaces a long-serving Director whose background in engineering and electricity network operations contributed strongly to Board discussions. The Board wants to preserve and deepen this capability as the organisation manages growth, major capital programmes and growing sector complexity.

The role will place particular emphasis on governance oversight of the Asset Management Plan, network resilience, infrastructure investment, future network development and emerging energy opportunities. The right candidate will help the Board make strong long-term decisions on asset stewardship, reliability, resilience and value for consumers.

The Board is seeking someone who can combine technical credibility with sound governance judgement. Just as important is the ability to work constructively in a collaborative Board setting, provide appropriate challenge and contribute to collective decision-making.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee long-term asset management and infrastructure investment programmes from a governance perspective.
• Take part in strategic discussions on network resilience, reliability and the evolution of future energy systems.
• Provide governance input on major capital decisions and infrastructure needs linked to growth.
• Review organisational performance, risk exposure and long-term sustainability.
• Offer independent judgement and well-placed challenge during Board deliberations.
• Help foster a governance culture centred on stewardship, accountability and long-term value.
• Assist the Board and Chief Executive in responding to sector change, technology developments and future opportunities.

What You’ll Bring

• Experience at senior leadership, executive or governance level in electricity, energy, utilities or infrastructure.
• A solid grasp of asset management, infrastructure planning and capital investment.
• Exposure to long-life infrastructure assets and environments where operational continuity is critical.
• Understanding of Asset Management Plans, network resilience and infrastructure stewardship.
• Knowledge of emerging energy technologies such as electrification, distributed generation, solar or related future-energy developments is an advantage.
• Prior board or governance experience, along with a clear understanding of a Director’s responsibilities.
• Strong commercial judgement and risk management capability.
• A collaborative approach with the confidence to challenge constructively and contribute positively in a Board environment.

Additional Considerations

The Board is also open to candidates from adjacent infrastructure sectors, provided they can demonstrate relevant experience in asset stewardship, infrastructure resilience, network operations or major capital programmes.

What’s on Offer

• The chance to help govern one of New Zealand’s major community-owned infrastructure organisations.
• Board involvement in one of the country’s fastest-growing regions.
• Exposure to major infrastructure investment, future energy systems and network transformation.
• A highly engaged shareholder base and a strong governance culture.
• Director remuneration of approximately $73,273 per year.
• Monthly Board meetings and strategic governance engagement throughout the year.

Application Details

The closing date for this role is 19 June 2026.

For a confidential discussion, contact David Hammond on 027 444 6368. To request a copy of the position description, email execsearch@tribegroup.com.

Applicants must be a New Zealand citizen, a New Zealand resident, or already hold the right to work in New Zealand with a valid visa.