Both Provincial Growth Fund projects are being overseen by Project Governance Groups, made up of elected Councillors and independent experts, who were invited to be involved based on their experiences and expertise.

The Chair of the Te Aroha Project Governance Group is Annabel Cotton. Annabel is a professional director and is the Managing Director of Merlin Consulting, an adviser to NZX listed companies on investor relations, governance and equity management and holds a number of governance roles including Chair of Hamilton & Waikato Tourism.

The rest of the Project Governance Group includes:

• Annabel Cotton (Chair), Merlin Consulting
• Nicky Scott, Iwi Representative
• Jason Dawson, Hamilton & Waikato Tourism
• Kelvin Forsman, Te Aroha Business Association
• Anthony Matthews, Historic Heritage
• Mayor Ash Tanner, Matamata-Piako District Council Representative
• Councillor Teena Cornes, Matamata-Piako District Council Representative
• Councillor Sue Whiting, Matamata-Piako District Council Representative
• Councillor Caitlyn Casey, Matamata-Piako District Council Representative
• Michael Basset-Foss, Regional Economic Development, Te Waka

The Governance Group Terms of Reference  (pdf, 893KB) provide the framework for this group.