New ACC Board Chair Appointed

ACC

Minister for ACC Carmel Sepuloni is delighted to announce the appointment of Hon Steve Maharey CNZM, as a new member and chair successor for the board of ACC.

He will commence as a member on 1 May 2021 and become Chair on the retirement of Dame Paula Rebstock on 31 July 2021, to allow for an orderly transition of leadership.

“I would like to express my deep appreciation for the outstanding service, dedication, contribution and leadership of outgoing chair Dame Paula Rebstock who will retire after 10 years leading the Board,” says Carmel Sepuloni.

“Dame Paula and the Board have overseen the much-needed transformation and modernisation of ACC’s culture, processes, information and technology. It has allowed ACC to make significant progress in improving how it delivers services to Kiwis in the 21st Century.

“Under her leadership, Dame Paula has driven the Whāia Te Tika strategy to prioritise equality of ACC services for Māori, revamped ACC’s case management model to better meet the needs of claimaints, worked to provide greater support to victims of sexual abuse, and put in place a health services strategy to ensure injured New Zealanders recover faster.

“She has made a valuable contribution in leading the deliberations of the Board. In particular, she stabilised ACC and rebuilt public confidence following a period in which it was focused on minimising the cost of the Scheme, instead of supporting injured New Zealanders.

"Her replacement Steve Maharey is currently Chair of UCOL, Pharmac and Education New Zealand and was Vice Chancellor at Massey University. Prior to that he was a Senior Lecturer in Sociology, a City Councillor, an MP for 18 yesrs and a Senior Cabinet Minister holding a wide range of portfolios including Education, Social Development, Employment, Housing and Child, Youth and Family. 

“Steve has expressed to me how honoured he is to be taking the helm of the ACC Board, to contribute his experience to lead the future direction for this important and unique institution which all New Zealanders rely on.

“The leadership of the ACC Board is an important role for the Crown and I’m confident Steve has the breadth of leadership experience to ably address the challenges facing ACC and to lead the corporation into the future.” said Carmel Sepuloni.