Ō mātou kaiarataki Our leaders

Heather Baggott (she/her)

Te Tumu Whakarae mō Te Kawa Mataaho | Public Service Commissioner, Head of Service

Heather is the acting Public Service Commissioner and Head of Service until a permanent appointment is made. In her substantive role as Deputy Public Service Commissioner she works closely with the Public Service Commissioner to provide leadership and oversight of the Public Service. Heather has also been an Assistant Commissioner and has held several senior leadership roles in the justice and culture sectors.  

Learn more about the role of the Public Service Commissioner  

Rebecca Kitteridge (she/her)

Te Pou Turuki mō Te Kawa Mataaho | Deputy Public Service Commissioner

Rebecca is Deputy Public Service Commissioner, working closely with the Public Service Commissioner to provide leadership and oversight of the Public Service. From March 2023 to April 2024, Rebecca stepped into the role of acting Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and Chief Executive from her substantive role here at the Commission. Prior to this, Rebecca was Director-General of Security and Chief Executive, New Zealand Security Intelligence Service.

Gaye Searancke (she/her)

Chief Executive on Assignment

Gaye is Chief Executive on Assignment from her substantive role as Secretary for Land Information and Chief Executive, Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand. Before stepping into her current role, Gaye was acting Deputy Public Service Commissioner for a year. Gaye has held senior roles across many agencies including IRD, ACC, MBIE and the Ministry of Economic Development (as it was then called).

Rauru Kirikiri (he/him)

Kaihautū mō Te Kawa Mataaho | Kaihautū to the Public Service Commissioner

Rauru (Te Whānau ā Apanui) has a notable background serving iwi, Māori, and New Zealand through his many roles in academia, consultancy, and the Public Service. He specialises in a range of Māori related issues including environmental management, strategic planning, Treaty of Waitangi claims negotiations, policy development, and tertiary education. Rauru is also an experienced resource consent commissioner, has had various academic activities at universities in both New Zealand and Australia, and continues to serve on several committees including acting as Deputy Chairperson of Te Mana Whakahaere o Awanuiārangi. His Public Service career began at the: Ministry of Foreign Affairs (with postings to Washington DC, Suva, and London); State Services Commission (now Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission); and Department of Māori Affairs (now Te Puni Kōkiri). He has recently returned to Te Kawa Mataaho as Kaihautū to the Public Service Commissioner. 

Alastair Hill (he/him)

Kaikōmihana Tuarua, Kaitiakitanga me ngā Take Tūmatanui | Deputy Commissioner, Governance and Public Affairs
Upoko o ngā Kaimahi, Te Tari a Te Tumu Whakarae mō Te Kawa Mataaho, Upoko Ratonga | Chief of Staff, Office of the Public Service Commissioner

Alastair is Deputy Commissioner, Governance and Public Affairs and Chief of Staff. Prior to joining Te Kawa Mataaho, he was responsible for the design and performance of industry partnership programmes at the Ministry of Social Development. He has also held positions working for ministers as a private secretary. Alastair has a BA in Political Science and Geography and a Master of Public Management from Victoria University of Wellington.

Hannah Cameron (she/her)

Kaikōmihana Tuarua, Te Tohutohu Rautaki me te Kaupapa Here | Deputy Commissioner, Strategy & Policy

Hannah is Deputy Commissioner, Strategy & Policy. Prior to joining Te Kawa Mataaho she was Deputy Chief Policy Officer at the Ministry of Health. She has held policy and management roles at the Ministries of Education and Justice; and has worked as a ministerial advisor. Hannah has an MA in Social and Political Science from Cambridge University and started her Public Service career in the UK Civil Service Fast Stream Programme.

Hugo Vitalis (he/him)

Kaikōmihana Tuarua, Te Pono, te Matatika me te Tautikanga | Deputy Commissioner, Integrity, Ethics & Standards

Hugo is Deputy Commissioner, Integrity, Ethics & Standards. Prior to his current role, he was Manager, Innovation and Strategy in the Strategy Group. Prior to that he was acting Director, Policy in the State Sector Results Group. He was also a member of the Performance Hub, a joint team located in the Treasury advising on Public Service reform. Prior to joining Te Kawa Mataaho he held management roles in strategy and policy groups within the Ministry for Social Development. He has also worked at the Ministry of Justice, Legal Services Agency, Wellington Regional Council and the Ministries of Culture and Heritage and Internal Affairs.

Thor Gudjonsson (he/him)

Kaikōmihana Tuarua, Te Aromātai Whakatutukitanga | Deputy Commissioner, System & Agency Performance

Thor is Deputy Commissioner, System & Agency Performance. Prior to joining Te Kawa Mataaho Thor held a number of Chief Financial Officer roles including the Ministry of Justice and Ministry for Primary Industries. Thor started his career with Audit New Zealand, auditing a variety of entities across the broader public sector. Thor is a Chartered Accountant, and has a BCom and DipGrad in Accounting and Economics from the University of Otago.

Alex Chadwick (she/her)

Kaikōmihana Tuarua, Te Ohu Mahi | Deputy Commissioner, Workforce

Alex is Deputy Commissioner of the Workforce group at Te Kawa Mataaho. With a background as an employment lawyer, Alex has significant experience leading and implementing employment relations and workforce strategy in the public and private sectors. She previously managed the Government’s Gender Pay Taskforce and continues to lead the work to close gender and ethnic pay gaps across the Public Service.

Duane McKibben (he/him)

Kaikōmihana Tuarua, Whakatutukitanga ā-Whakahaere | Deputy Commissioner, Organisational Capability and Performance

Duane is Deputy Commissioner, Organisational Capability and Performance. Duane is a committed public servant who started his career in the front line — first as a teacher, then as a client service officer in the Australian Public Service. Duane has been privileged to take on a number of roles through his career which have helped to transform and shape organisations, their leadership, capability and culture. Duane brings strong expertise in building organisational capability through a broad range of disciplines, supported by tertiary qualifications and management consulting experience. He has recently completed his Executive Master of Public Administration with ANZSOG.

Tania Ott (she/her)

Kaikōmihana Tuarua, Te Whare Pasifika | Deputy Commissioner, Public Service Fale

Tania is Deputy Commissioner for the Public Service Fale. Prior to this, she was Group Manager, Senior Courts at the Ministry of Justice. Tania has held Public Service roles at the Office of Treaty Settlements, Department of Internal Affairs and Department of Labour. Tania has also served as private secretary to several government ministers and as an advisor in the Office of the Prime Minister, Rt Hon Helen Clark.