About
Governance in rural and regional New Zealand is closer to the community it serves than almost anywhere else.
That proximity is a strength. It also asks more of the people at the table. Boards here navigate primary sector accountability, infrastructure stewardship, community representation, and environmental obligation, in tight-knit communities where conflicts of interest are ever-present and harder to manage.
Rural and Regional Governance New Zealand exists for that reality. We curate resources, surface opportunities, and connect practitioners, across local government, Māori governance, primary sector boards, environmental governance, and community organisations throughout the regions.
We support the work of the Institute of Directors, Chartered Governance Institute New Zealand, and Community Governance Aotearoa. Our focus is the geography and the sectors they do not always reach.
Who's behind Rural and Regional Governance New Zealand?
I'm Stefan Speller, based in Manawatū-Whanganui. I care about how our regions are governed, the development pipeline, and promoting a strong regional identity.
I've spent nearly fifteen years in governance across the regions, board and committee roles spanning charitable trusts, community service organisations, statutory and advisory bodies, and sector institutes. Right now that includes board roles with Te Aroha Noa Community Services and Hāpai Public – Institute of Public Professionals, serving as deputy chair of a Fire and Emergency New Zealand local advisory committee, and sitting on the committee of the Institute of Directors' Manawatū-Whanganui branch. I also write and speak on local government and governance. It's this range, from community trusts to statutory bodies, that shaped how I see the gap this platform fills.
I started Rural and Regional Governance New Zealand because the regions are full of people who would govern well if someone simply pointed them to the seat. Finding the seat shouldn't be the hard part.
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