The Parks Leaders Forum are delighted to announce the appointment of Department of Conservation Director General Penny Nelson as the new Patron of the organisation following previous patron Lou Sanson’s three-year term ending. 

 

Parks Leaders Forum Board Advisor Michael Ayrton / Board Chair Roslyn Kerr said they would like to thank Lou for his time over the past three years and congratulate Penny on her appointment.

 

“The value of the Department of Conservation as our key national lead agency is critical to the ongoing success of the Parks Leaders Forum”, says Parks Leaders Forum Chair, Dr Roslyn Kerr, “and having Penny in the role as Patron is an honour for the group”. Former Board Chair and Board Advisor Michael Ayrton says, “We congratulate Penny on kindly accepting the appointment and look forward to her input and leadership in extending the value of our National, Regional and local parks to the wider community”. 

 

Penny Nelson 

Penny Nelson is delighted to be the new patron of the New Zealand Parks Leaders Forum.

 

Penny has been Director-General of the Department of Conservation since November 2021, the first woman to reach this significant Crown role. At DOC she oversees more than 2500 staff who are trusted to look after more than 14,000 native species of flora and fauna over 8 million hectares of land, 52 marine reserves and sanctuaries, and 220 large islands.

 

Prior to DOC, Penny was an influential senior leader across the public and private sector including the Ministry for the Environment, the Sustainable Business Council of New Zealand, Ministry of Social Development, Dairy NZ, and Manaaki Whenua / Landcare Research. She was also Deputy Director-General of Biosecurity for the Ministry for Primary Industries. 

“I’m keen through this role to celebrate the importance of parks and the value and health benefits these green spaces bring for people,” Penny says.

 

“I also want to foster understanding that New Zealand’s natural areas and parks are a key driver of our economy. National parks and conservation areas are vital for protecting and enhancing nature, but they’re also important for regional economies that rely on the tourism opportunities.”

 

“There’s a huge opportunity to bring local government, businesses, and communities together to value and protect our parks.” 

 

Penny holds a MSc (Hons) degree from Lincoln University, a BA (Hons) degree from the University of Otago and has completed the Prince of Wales‘s Business and Sustainability programme at the University of Cambridge.