The Carbon Challenge

Jo Hendy | Chief Executive, Climate Change Commission

Jo Hendy has led the Climate Change Commission since its inception. She has a background in environmental and climate research. As Director of Research and Analysis for the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, she led independent investigations into sea-level rise and agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. She also led the Commission’s precursor, the Secretariat for the Interim Climate Change Committee, where she oversaw the Committee’s inquiry into renewable electricity.

Nick Cozens | Technical Director, BECA

Highly regarded for his forward-thinking ideas and exceptional project identification and development skills, Nick is a recognized leader in delivering creative solutions. With a unique ability to distil complexity into common language, he brings over 20 years of diverse global experience across the energy value chain. Actively engaged in global networks, Nick frequently speaks at industry events, driving innovative thought and sustainable practices.

David Dempsey | Associate Professor, University of Canterbury

Dr David Dempsey is an Associate Professor at the Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering at the University of Canterbury. He gained his PhD in Engineering Science from the University of Auckland and then moved overseas to work at Los Alamos National Lab (New Mexico) and Stanford University (California). Since returning to New Zealand, he has built up a research team that uses modelling and AI to address problems in geothermal energy, carbon sequestration, natural gas and underground hydrogen storage.

Andreas Heuser | Managing Director, Castalia

Andreas works at the intersection of law and economics, advising private and public sector clients on institutional design, infrastructure strategy, competition and regulatory policy as well as business strategy. Andreas is currently Chair of the New Zealand Government’s Technical Advisory Group on water sector reform. Prior to joining Castalia, he was with the New Zealand Treasury where he led advice on urban infrastructure, natural resources policy, housing affordability, commercial transactions and savings policy. Andreas is a qualified lawyer and has worked in financial institutions and at top tier firms in Europe on cross-border transactions and international arbitration. Andreas is most interested in applying economics and analytical rigor to help clients develop smart solutions to their challenges.

Russell Dyer | Energy & AFR Manager, Golden Bay Cement

With over 32 years of dedicated service at Golden Bay’s cement plant near Whangarei, Russell Dyer has profoundly influenced the cement industry through his innovative work in project engineering and alternative fuels. In his role as Energy and AFR Manager, Russell has been a key figure in the advancement of sustainable practices at Golden Bay.
Russell has spearheaded the adoption of innovative alternative fuels, including the use of wood waste and construction and demolition wood waste, which have significantly enhanced the company's sustainability efforts. His forward-thinking approach is further exemplified by the incorporation of tyres as an alternative fuel source. Russell's contributions have been crucial in reducing carbon emissions, positioning Golden Bay Cement as a leader in biofuel utilization within the industry. Currently, Russell is dedicated to developing and implementing carbon reduction strategies and projects aimed at eliminating coal use, driving Golden Bay toward a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future.

Craig Barry | Policy Director – Upstream & Climate, ERA

Craig is a chemical engineer with 25 years working in the international upstream oil and gas sector. He was most recently the Principal Production Advisor at New Zealand’s petroleum regulator. He started his career in operations before moving to work with some of the world’s largest engineering houses. Craig spent 10 years with Woodside Energy, where he worked on corporate strategy and planning, exploration, and LNG projects. His time at Woodside included two years as New Zealand country manager.

Billie Moore | Chief Executive, NZ Airports Association

Billie is the Chief Executive of the NZ Airports Association, the industry association for New Zealand’s airports and related businesses. Its members operate 46 airports around the country and support a safe, sustainable and resilient aviation network for Aotearoa.
A former diplomat, Billie worked for Labour and National Ministers in foreign affairs and trade positions in the Beehive from 2008-2014. She served as New Zealand’s Consul-General to New South Wales and Queensland from 2015-2019 before returning to Wellington to lead government relations for Tourism New Zealand. She has also held the role of Chief Advisor at the Ministry for the Environment.

Raewyn Bleakley | Chief Executive, NZ Food & Grocery Council

Raewyn is an experienced and successful senior leader who has worked across and within government for more than 20 years, 6½ of them in chief executive roles at various industry associations. Before becoming the CE of the NZ Food and Grocery Council, she was one of five Deputy Chief Executives at Fire and Emergency NZ for three years, where she was responsible for leading the Office of the Chief Executive. Before that she spent two years as General Manager Governance, Communications and Stakeholders, and three years as Region Director Central New Zealand at Waka Kotahi (NZ Transport Agency). Raewyn also has extensive governance experience, including directorships on the transport Industry Training Organisation Tranzqual, Motor Industry Training Organisation, New Zealand Chambers of Commerce and Industry Board and Management Committee and Wellington Zoo Trust (where she was also was Deputy Chair and Chair of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee).

Katie McLean | President, NZ Geothermal Association

Dr Katie McLean is the President of the New Zealand Geothermal Association and a Senior Reservoir Engineer working for Contact Energy at Wairākei, New Zealand’s oldest geothermal power station. She is an engineer and a geologist by training, with a PhD in geothermal well testing from the University of Auckland. She has co-authored a textbook on geothermal well testing with Professor Sadiq Zarrouk, of the Geothermal Institute at the University of Auckland. Katie has published papers on a range of reservoir engineering topics, most recently focused on the subject of geothermal carbon emissions.

Chris Burgess | Investment Adviser, NZTE

Chris is a member of the NZTE Investment Greenfield team. He is an Investment Manager with a focusing on Advanced Transportation. This includes aerospace and future fuels. Chris has an entrepreneurial background and holds a Master's Degree in Business Studies which focussed on 'intrapreneurship' as a means of cultivating innovation. His role is to originate new investment opportunities that leverage New Zealand's unique competitive advantages, then provide support and expertise in order to prepare an opportunity before connecting it to the right type of capital via a deliberate strategy. Chris is actively supporting ‘Sustainable Aviation Fuel’ initiatives in New Zealand and see the role carbon capture can play in producing eSAF.

Luke Shors | Co-founder and President, Capture6

Harvard & Johns Hopkins educated energy expert; entrepreneur with multiple patents in energy sector; extensive experience leading complex projects and proposals around the world.

MJ Muller | Sr Commercialisation Advisor, Capture6

ChemE with 16 years+ of water treatment, management, sales, and customer service experience.

Professor Shane Telfer | Captivate

Shane Telfer is a Professor of Chemistry at Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand. His research interests focus on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), porous materials used for separation and catalysis. Since 2007, he has been a Principal Investigator for the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology. He was a Fulbright Fellow at UC Berkeley, USA (2012), and was awarded the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry Prize for Excellence in Chemical Research (2015). He received Massey University’s highest accolade, the Individual Research Medal in 2021. He has published more than 130 peer-reviewed papers and has accrued more than $8M in funding, including four Marsden Fund grants as a principal investigator. Since 2023, he has been the founder/CEO of Captivate Technology, which is commercialising porous materials for carbon dioxide capture from flue gases.

Mark Chadderton | Chief Executive Officer

Mark Chadderton is Chief Executive Officer and a co-founder at Aspiring Materials. His experience working for the very industries that need to decarbonise rapidly, but safely, means the technology Aspiring Materials is developing is cognisant of the challenges faced in achieving that goal.

Dr Vlatko Materic | Chief Technology Officer/ Co-Founder, Hot Lime Labs

Dr. Vlatko Materic is the CTO and co-founder of Hot Lime Labs, a position that happily combines his long-standing expertise in CO2 capture systems and energy technology R&D with a drive for entrepreneurship and real-life technology commercialisation.

Brigid McArthur | Partner, Greenwood Roche

Callum Thorpe | Principal Policy Advisor, MBIE

Callum Thorpe is a Principal Policy Advisor in the Energy Markets Branch of the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment and was part of the team responsible for the recent consultation on carbon capture, utilisation and storage. He currently works on issues relating to natural gas and broader energy security.

Professor Barry Barton | Waikato University

Barry Barton is a Professor of Law at the University of Waikato. He specializes in the law concerning energy, natural resources, and climate change, and is a member of the Academic Advisory Group of the Section on Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Infrastructure of the International Bar Association. He lectures on Climate Change Law at the University of Waikato, and on Mining Law at Western University, Ontario, Canada.

John Burnell | Energy Futures Research Leader, GNS Science

John Burnell is a reservoir modeller at GNS Science, Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading earth sciences research institute. His research expertise is in computational modelling of heat and mass flows. Most of his recent work has focussed on developing reservoir models of geothermal systems in New Zealand and overseas to assist with system management. He also has long-standing involvements resource consenting, developing models to assess environmental impacts. In addition, John has worked on modelling carbon sequestration and storage, and production from natural gas reservoirs.

Andrew Knight | Chief Executive, Gas Industry NZ

Andrew Knight commenced as Chief Executive of Gas Industry Co in March 2018.
Prior to that Andrew was the Managing Director and Chief Executive of New Zealand Oil & Gas (NZOG) and was on the Gas Industry Co Board from 2012 to 2016.
He has also previously held executive management roles with Vector Limited, the NGC Holdings Limited Group of Companies, The Australian Gas Light Company and Fletcher Challenge Energy. Andrew’s early career was spent as an auditor with Coopers & Lybrand.

John Hancock

John Hancock is a well-known energy utilities consultant and commentator. He’s a member of EECA’s Low Emissions Transport Fund assessment panel, has chaired two of the Electricity Authority’s Advisory Groups a member of Expert Advisory Group for the previous Government’s Electricity Price Review.
Much of his work draws on his unusual combination of deep experience in both technology and deregulation - key dimensions of the strategic environment in the sector.
John has worked in the utilities industry around the world for over 30 years.