Led by the Chief Electoral Officer and Chief Executive, our Executive Leadership Team guides the organisation to ensure New Zealand has an electoral system people can have trust and confidence in and by helping people to take part in the electoral process.
If you have any questions for a member of the Executive Leadership Team please contact us.
Meet the Executive Leadership Team
Karl Le Quesne
Chief Electoral Officer and Chief Executive
Karl’s 5-year term as Chief Electoral Officer and Chief Executive began in April 2022. He is responsible for leading the organisation and ensuring the Commission facilitates participation by New Zealanders in parliamentary democracy, promotes understanding of the electoral system and maintains confidence in the electoral system.
Karl is also a member of the Electoral Commission’s Board, where he is responsible with other Board members for overseeing the implementation of the Commission’s objectives, functions and powers.
Anusha Guler
Deputy Chief Executive, Operations
Anusha leads the Operations Group. The group incorporates the Electoral Commission's delivery functions and are accountable for initiatives to enable the information, education, enrolment, and vote processes. The Group covers:
- Business Enablement
- Communications & Education
- Enrolment
- Strategic Engagement and Partnerships
- Voting Services
Lucy Hickman
Deputy Chief Executive, Enterprise Services
Lucy leads our Enterprise Services Group, who deliver the Commission's corporate functions and the core services that enable and support the delivery of electoral events. The Group covers:
- Administration
- Business Continuity
- Finance, Property & Procurement
- Information Technology
- People & Culture
Leigh Deuchars
Deputy Chief Executive, strategy, governance and development
Leigh leads the Strategy, Governance and Development Group, which covers:
- Planning, Risk & Assurance
- Governance
- International
- Data Insights
Leigh and her team work on ensuring coordinated development of outcomes and production of strategic documents, publications and reporting on behalf of the Commission including the provision of governance support to the Board, and incorporating the International team’s research on global policy, strategy and security in a New Zealand context.
Mark Lawson
Chief Electoral Advisor
Mark leads a team that undertakes organisation-wide strategic reviews, long term planning, reviews of legislation, data-driven insights to support business information and business change, risk management and supporting and building relationships with the wider public sector.
Hone Matthews
Chief Māori Advisor
Hone leads a team which helps embed a Māori worldview throughout the Commission to honour our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Hone's team are committed to prioritising engagement and partnership with Tangata Whenua to build trust that influences positive long-term participation in Aotearoa's democracy.
Emily Redmond
establishment programme director
Emily works across the business to establish the 2023 General Election programme. This includes defining programme scope and the methodologies it will use, setting up governance arrangements, and developing a programme management plan.
Kristina Temel
Manager Legal & Policy
Kristina and her team provide in-house legal and policy advice on electoral legislation. They also provide advice and guidance to political parties, candidates, MPs, the public, the Minister of Justice, Ministry of Justice and the wider government.
Our Board
The Electoral Commission is governed by a board of three members: a part-time chair, a part-time deputy chair and a full-time chief electoral officer, who is also the chief executive
What the Board does
The Board oversees our work to ensure we meet our objectives, and implement our functions and powers.
The Board also makes sure we’re impartial and independent, in a way that:
- facilitates participation in parliamentary democracy
- promotes understanding of the electoral system
- maintains confidence in the administration of the electoral system.
The Governor-General appoints all three Board members on Parliament’s recommendation.
Meet the Board
Hon Justice Simon Moore KC
Chair
Simon began his career in 1982 as a staff solicitor at Meredith Connell. Three years later he was made a partner at the firm and was chairman of partners from 2003 until his appointment to the High Court Bench in 2014.
He retired from the High Court Bench in October 2023, but remains on an acting warrant which runs until 31 December 2024.
Simon's 5-year term as Chair of the Electoral Commission Board began in November 2024.
Jane Meares
Deputy Chair
Jane is a commercial barrister at Clifton Chambers in Wellington. She undertakes public sector and commercial advisory work. She was previously Treasury’s chief legal adviser.
Jane is Chair and Chief Commissioner of the Transport Accident Investigation Commission, Chair of Financial Services Complaints Limited, a director of the Electricity Corporation of New Zealand, Chair of the Royal New Zealand Ballet Foundation of New Zealand and a member of Land Information New Zealand’s risk and assurance committee.
Jane’s 5-year term as Deputy Chair of the Electoral Commission Board began in August 2019.
Karl Le Quesne
Chief Electoral Officer and Chief Executive
Karl has held a number of public sector leadership roles, including Deputy Chief Executive at the Department of Internal Affairs and executive roles in the Ministry of Education. He has led policy, corporate, operational and delivery services across the Department of Justice, Department of Corrections, Ministry of Education and Department of Internal Affairs.
Karl’s 5-year term as Chief Electoral Officer and Chief Executive began in April 2022.