WasteMINZ Board election 2025

Chief of Staff

Global Metal Solutions Limited

Robyn brings a wealth of experience in being at the forefront of developments in the metal recycling industry, along with significant insights into governance, finance, HR, compliance and is a strong thinker and communicator.

She is a Chartered Accountant with over 35 years of broad experience and holds an MBA from Waikato University.

Robyn has been with Global Metal Solutions Limited (GMSL) for the past 10 years She is a senior member of the executive team and has strong links with many different parties, both internal and external, developed during her role as CFO. She has recently been appointed as the Chief of Staff (CoS), which will see a focus on company development as it continues its growth trajectory. During her time as CFO her scope also extended to project managing capital projects including the development of a new office block. She led the initial establishment of ISO accreditation in three standards (Quality, Health & Safety and Environmental) with these now embedded in GMSL’s best practice methodologies.

Prior to GMSL, her career centred on accounting systems consulting both nationally and internationally, along with contract work including with the Practice Review Division of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (NZ).

Robyn is a proud Rotarian and is currently the Treasurer, and on the club and Trust boards for the Waikato Sunrise club.

Associate Director

Morrison Low Advisory

Stefan is a professional with over 20 years’ experience in waste management and local government. He has made a significant contribution across resource recovery and waste management operations, and has successfully executed projects in various locations, spanning Aotearoa New Zealand and United Kingdom.

Stefan has led and developed high-functioning teams and processes within local government and the private sector with a focus on sustainable, commercial outcomes. He prides himself on building positive relationships with people at all levels and on his ability to collaborate with and influence key decision makers to deliver excellent solutions. He has a passion for the environment and for ensuring the appropriate waste minimisation initiatives and resource recovery services are implemented for organisations. He regularly engages with industry organisations such as WasteMINZ.

Head of Environmental Social Governance

Foodstuffs NZ

Sandy Botterill is driving Aotearoa NZ’s shift to a low-waste, circular future. As Head of ESG at Foodstuffs NZ, she leads national efforts in waste minimisation, climate action, and community impact and wellbeing across grocery retail. From piloting NZ’s first reverse vending machine to scaling food waste reduction and cutting non-recyclable packaging, Sandy is reshaping how New Zealanders engage with waste.

She’s a passionate advocate for WasteMINZ, and is a current board member, championing the Product Stewardship and Recycling & Resource Recovery sector groups.

“WasteMINZ is unique - it empowers councils, communities, and industry to be bold in reducing waste and advancing the circular economy. WasteMINZ’s reputation for providing well researched, fact-based reports and insights is second to none,” she says.

With a background as Circular Economy Lead at Plastics NZ, Sandy worked with industry and government to redesign plastic systems for circularity and resource efficiency. Her qualifications - a Master in Environmental Law (Hons) and a Postgrad Diploma in Business - equip her with a strategic, systems-based approach to change. Sandy has a number of other skills she brings to the board – financial/commercial, stakeholder engagement as well as regulatory and compliance.

A Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors, Sandy also chairs the Food for Thought Educational Trust and sits on the Recycling Leadership Forum. Sandy’s work is grounded in innovation, collaboration, and impact. She is helping Aotearoa rethink waste - not as a problem, but as an opportunity for transformation.

Strategic Director

Pattle Delamore Partners

Rod Lidgard is a Strategic Director at Pattle Delamore Partners (PDP) with an established career delivering major contaminated land and solid waste management projects for both public and private clients throughout New Zealand. As a Certified Environmental Practitioner - Site Contamination specialist (CEnvP SC) and longstanding WasteMINZ member, Rod has a strong track record of industry engagement and technical thought leadership, regularly presenting and chairing sessions at WasteMINZ conferences and actively participating in working groups focused on optimising soil reuse and wider industry improvements.

Rod has existing governance experience in community not-for-profits and is a member of the Institute of Directors, demonstrating proven experience and understanding of effective board governance and leadership in the sector. He is committed to delivering pragmatic, sustainable solutions and has been a key driver in lobbying engagement and progress for soil reuse and improvements of circular waste management systems throughout Aotearoa NZ to set us all up for a better future.

Rod will bring to the WasteMINZ Board a balanced skillset spanning contaminated land, solid waste management, and strategic industry governance. His inclusive, outcomes-focused leadership, deep working knowledge of sector challenges, success in lobbying central government recognition and support, and strong commitment to member training and collaboration position him to represent and advance the core needs of the WasteMINZ community.

Strategy Planning Manager

(Waste Minimisation and Management)

Queenstown Lakes District Council

Sophie has worked in the sector for 20 years and is currently Strategy Planning Manager (Waste Minimisation and Management) at Queenstown Lakes District Council. She leads the strategic planning of services and infrastructure, with a strong focus on collaboration to deliver a reduced waste, lower carbon future.

Sophie has extensive governance and leadership experience, having served 15 years on the Territorial Authorities’ Officers (TAO) Forum Steering Committee, including two terms as Chair. In this role she has provided sector leadership, guided responses to national issues, and ensured councils have a strong, unified voice. She is well-versed in working with external stakeholders, elected members, executive teams and balancing governance and operational perspectives.

Sophie’s achievements include leading the development of Waste Management and Minimisation Plans (WMMPs) and representing the territorial authorities (TA) sector in the development of Te Rautaki Para – New Zealand Waste Strategy, which provided a critical opportunity to improve waste outcomes across Aotearoa. She has served on working groups for the Organic Waste Collection and Processing Guidance and the Local Government Waste Management Manifesto, helping to shape the WasteMINZ conference programme, facilitating workshops, chairing panel discussions and presenting on sector projects.

Whilst a strong advocate for community-led solutions, Sophie has also contributed to Ministry for the Environment technical advisory groups and national working groups, including the Covid Response and Recovery Group, Transforming Recycling, the container return scheme design group and has an ongoing commitment to the Southland Otago Waste Network. Her ability to work across the WasteMINZ membership is demonstrated through participation in these multi-stakeholder forums, her operational roles, and her commitment to collaborate on creating systems that enable reduction and reuse of resources. She has a current focus on advancing organics and construction resource recovery, underpinned by a commitment to the behavioural and systems change required to achieve lasting success.

If elected to the WasteMINZ Board, Sophie would bring strategic insight, collaboration, and deep sector knowledge to help advance Aotearoa’s transition to a zero carbon, zero waste future.

Principal Waste + Resource Recovery Consultant    

Tonkin + Taylor

Chris is a resource recovery and strategy specialist working across the waste and resource recovery sector in New Zealand. His work draws on his engineering training, alongside strong environmental science and policy experience. Since the mid-1990s Chris has worked closely with local authorities, government and the private sector to identify, evaluate and implement a range of options to maximise resource recovery and effectively manage residual waste. Chris also works internationally delivering waste systems design, capacity building and infrastructure planning alongside local counterparts. This breadth of experience enables Chris to bring a unique perspective to the WasteMINZ Board.

Chris has been involved with WasteMINZ for more than 20 years, regularly presenting at conferences and workshops and contributing to WasteMINZ projects. Before joining the WasteMINZ Board in 2023, Chris chaired the WasteMINZ Organic Materials Sector Group Steering Committee, working on Clopyralid, compostable plastics, biosolids and market development for organic materials. Since joining the Board, Chris has continued to support the Organic Materials Sector Group, as well as providing technical expertise in the recently completed analysis of the economic contribution of the sector to the NZ economy.

Chris understands the wider context that drives activity and decision making within the sector at both a policy and commercial level. Chris is standing for a second term and aims to continue work on promoting the value the sector brings to the wider economy and build the profile of resource recovery as a way to improve NZ’s productivity.

30 years of working in the waste sector means that Chris can frame challenges and opportunities with a focus on achieving best outcomes for New Zealand. With this experience, alongside strong relationships across the sector, Chris is well positioned to continue supporting WasteMINZ to focus on contributing evidence to key policy discussions and progressing areas of common interest across the membership.

Head of Climate, Waste and Resource Recovery  

Hutt City Council

Jörn Scherzer is a strategic infrastructure and sustainability leader with more than 15 years’ experience in central and local government. His career spans a diverse range of sectors, including transport, waste and energy.

He is currently Head of Climate, Waste and Resource Recovery at Hutt City Council, where he leads strategic planning and delivery of waste infrastructure and service-level changes. His portfolio covers the council’s waste minimisation work programme, the kerbside collection service, and the operation of Silverstream landfill. He also drives decarbonisation across the organisation and city, such as the phase-out of fossil gas at all Council facilities.

Jörn initiated and led the successful rollout of a new kerbside collection system in Lower Hutt (including the introduction of electric collection vehicles), initiated major changes at Silverstream landfill to improve resource recovery and gas destruction, and he leads the decarbonisation of Council’s contracts. He also co-chairs the Wellington Region’s WWMP Steering Group, driving cross-Council strategic waste infrastructure outcomes.

Previously, Jörn held roles at the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority and the Ministry of Transport.

Originally from Germany, he made New Zealand his adopted home and lives in Porirua. He is married and has a daughter (11) and son (6). On a personal level, his passion is kayaking and waka ama.

Jörn currently serves on national and international governance committees for Waka Ama NZ and the International Va’a Federation. He was previously the chair of Waka Ama Wellington (2009-2022) where he led significant changes to its governance structure and the growth of the sport in the Lower North Island.

Jörn would bring to the WasteMINZ Board deep sector expertise, governance capability, and a proven record of delivering innovative, future-focused solutions in waste and sustainability.

National Sustainability Manager

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora

Larisa Thathiah is an accomplished environmental and sustainability leader with 20+ years’ experience across South Africa and New Zealand. She has held national roles at Fonterra, Enviro NZ, and Health New Zealand, leading programmes in sustainability strategy, environmental compliance, and operational transformation. Her sector background spans public-sector water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure in South Africa; nationwide environmental systems auditing and regulatory compliance; and embedding sustainability within complex industries, including dairy, waste management, and healthcare. Larisa’s work centres on aligning sustainability with organisational strategy, fostering collaboration, and delivering measurable outcomes that build long-term resilience and strong governance.

Larisa brings significant governance experience. She served on the Board of the Packaging Council of New Zealand, advocating for sustainable packaging, regulatory alignment, and the circular economy. She is currently Chair of the Advisory Panel for the Circular Innovations Research Centre at the University of Auckland, guiding stakeholder engagement to accelerate circular solutions through technology and partnerships.

Larisa would bring to the WasteMINZ Board cross-sector insight, a deep understanding of regulatory and operational realities, and a proven ability to turn strategy into implementation at national scale. She is committed to advancing innovation, enabling pragmatic circular economy pathways, and supporting inclusive, outcomes-driven collaboration across industry, government, and communities.

Director

Phoenix Recycling Group

Hilary West-Reeve is Co-Owner and Director of Phoenix Recycling Group, leading one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most progressive resource recovery companies. With over 30 years’ experience in the construction industry – and recent work embedding sustainability data into New Zealand’s circular supply chains – Hilary has co-led Phoenix’s transformation from a regional metals recycler into a nationwide, multi-stream circular economy business. Today, the company recovers metals, all waste battery types, e-waste, and solar panels, delivering circular solutions for local and global markets.

Her governance experience includes serving as a Board Member of the New Zealand Green Building Council and Executive Board Member of Metals NZ. Previously, she chaired the Sustainable Steel Council and held advisory roles across multiple stakeholder groups advancing material circularity. Over the past five years, she has championed carbon reporting in a circular economy context - advocating for transparency, traceability, and verified supply chain data to drive accountability and accelerate low-carbon outcomes.

Hilary’s approach combines strategic foresight with practical execution. Phoenix has created an integrated network connecting end-of-life materials to new value chains, extending services to recover infrastructure, systems, and products essential to decarbonisation - from lithium batteries to solar panels - ensuring these resources remain in circulation and contribute to the global energy transition. A key part of this work is advocating for New Zealand’s often “invisible” recycling network and mahi, making its impact visible through measurable delivery, integrating real-time resource flow data into operations, and sharing progress openly.

As a potential WasteMINZ Board member, Hilary would challenge conventional waste management paradigms, reframing the conversation to position recovered materials as critical raw inputs.

“We’re shifting from seeing ‘waste’ as something to dispose of, to ‘resource’ as something to design for and keep in circulation. The moment you label something waste, you frame it as a problem; in a circular ecosystem, every output becomes an input for another process,” Hilary says.

Operations Manager    

EcoCentral

Rob is currently the Operations Manager at EcoCentral Limited in Canterbury and is committed to advancing circular economy thinking and practical waste minimisation solutions for NZ. As part of his role at EcoCentral, Rob oversees three EcoDrop Refuse Transfer Stations and Resource Recovery Centres, the EcoSort Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), and the EcoShop resale store. He also leads the operations of NZ’s second-largest semi-automated MRF, processing kerbside recycling for Christchurch, Waimakariri, Selwyn, and other Canterbury councils.

Rob has 17 plus years in waste and resource recovery: residential kerbside, commercial waste, earthquake C&D processing, transfer station and recycling operations. He also has a strong track record of delivering service and infrastructure excellence while addressing sector challenges. Rob is also experienced in emergency waste management during Civil Defence and critical incidents (earthquakes, severe weather events, COVID-19 pandemic).

Rob is an active WasteMINZ contributor being part of the Product Stewardship Sector Group Steering Committee (since 2020), and the Recycling & Resource Recovery Sector Group Steering Committee (since 2023). He is a member of the Institute of Directors (since 2023), completed a Company Directors Course and Chartered Members Assessment in 2024, and is a former NZ Army Officer, with leadership and decision-making in complex environments. He is also a skilled communicator with a thorough understanding of governance, local government service delivery, and commercial business operations.

Rob would bring a balanced perspective to the WasteMINZ board, with his experience across local government, commercial operations, and national sector groups, a pragmatic approach – turning industry challenges into practical solutions, and a strong commitment to waste minimisation and a circular economy future.

Aotearoa New Zealand Business Development Manager      

Re.Group Pty Ltd

Daniel has been an active member of WasteMINZ for the last decade and thoroughly enjoys contributing to an organisation that does so much great work for our industry.

Across Daniel’s career within the NZ waste sector, he has had a range of experiences working for some great employers across industry (Green Gorilla, Enviro NZ and now Re.Group), as well as in consulting (Morrison Low) and local government (Auckland Council). In a volunteer capacity, Daniel is a Director for Innovative Waste Kaikoura.

This broad range of experiences has helped shape a unique perspective, which allows Daniel to understand the overall waste and recycling system. WasteMINZ is the only organisation that also reflects this broad perspective across all facets of the sector, and consequently it is the organisation that he seeks to work with as a board member.

Daniel has a good understanding of how WasteMINZ works, having been a member of the Organics Materials Sector Group for three years, and as current chair of the Product Stewardship Sector Group – positions that Daniel thoroughly enjoys being a part of.

Daniel believes WasteMINZ has done so much great work for our industry.

“Without WasteMINZ, we would not be where we are today. For our size, we punch well above our weight in terms of what we achieve. However, I believe that there is more that can be done as we look towards the future, and I am inspired to contribute my skills and effort to support this outcome and continue to enhance the organisation,” Daniel says.

“We need a strong WasteMINZ to keep our industry successful and to tackle the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. I would take great pride in being a board member, helping to lead our industry to do just that.”