Antony Royal Election Statement / Bio
Kia ora everyone.
Thanks to everyone that supported me in the last election, as you know, unfortunately I missed out on being appointed to the council, however, I’ve been asked to stand in this by-election.
No doubt many of you will want to know who I am .. so here goes.
Firstly, many māori want to know where I’m from .. so here it is .. “No Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tamatēra, Ngā Puhi ahau”. This is on my fathers side, while my mother is a 3rd generation Pakeha.
Here is some boring stuff about some of my past work …
At Auckland University I was awarded a Degree in Engineering (Electrical & Electronics) have been active as a consultant in the ICT field since 1989 where I’ve worked in a range sectors in senior management roles including in the SME sector, Government Financial Services, Health, Tertiary Education, Primary Industry and Banking.
Here are just a few of the roles/projects over that time:
§ IS Manager, Te Puni Kokiri (Ministry of Māori Affairs)
§ Implementation of Financial Systems in government for Te Puni Kokiri, Dept of Conservation, Dept of Statistics and Treasury
§ Development of electronic claiming systems in the health sector for GP's, Midwives, Laboratories, Pharmacies and Hospitals
§ Global Infrastructure Manager, NZ Regional IS Manager and Web Initiatives Manager for NZ Dairy Board (Fonterra)
§ Senior IT Management Role at National Bank
The Tertiary Education Sector is also another area in which I’ve been involved for years, working with the three Wānanga, in particular with Te Wānanga o Raukawa (TWoR) where I’ve been a tutor for many years in both IT and business. In 2000, we implemented a programme which trained and supplied computers to every student enrolled at TWoR. This programme is in its 10th year and has had significant impact on digital literacy for adult māori. Thousands of homes now have computers as a result of this programme. More recently I was the project manager, on behalf of the three Wānanga, leading a two year project researching the use of technology in the tertiary educational environment.
Currently I’m leading a project to significantly improve TWoR's web based student management system and to implement an enterprise eLearning system.
Last year, I was appointed as a trustee of Te Huarahi Tika Trust (Māori Spectrum Trust) which holds a 20% stake on behalf of Māori in 2Degrees Mobile through its subsidiary Hautaki Trust. This certainly is an exciting area, focusing on fostering competition, creating appropriate regulatory environments so that competition, innovation and creativity can flourish, and brings significant benefits to all New Zealanders.
I’ve held a number of governance positions in the past including as Trustee on St Bernards Primary School Board, Chairperson of the SPEEKS Advisory group (on behalf of Ako Aotearoa, The National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence), a member of the past Digital Development Council. On behalf of our whānau, I’m the Chairperson of Te Whānau a Haunui Trust, which operates a farm on the shores of the Firth of Thames and, as well, sit as director of a number of private companies.
Since the last election, I was a little disappointed by the discussions, which seemed to imply some kind of underhandedness in the voting.
All I can say is that, while I was sitting on the Digital Development Council, I attended a number of meetings and met a number of people in this sector. It was through those contacts that a number of people suggested that I stand for the council. That’s about the extent of any discussions prior to the elections. I’m fortunate that a number of people like the way in which I try to get my point across, or at least that’s what I think they like!
My style is one of considered contribution, while I’m not afraid of detailed technical (or financial) discussions, I also believe in letting those best suited to making such decisions getting on with the job.
My commitment is for a strong economy and social environment underpinned by technology for the benefit of all New Zealanders. Through my work with many Māori organizations, I also have a perspective on the unique position that Māori have within our society.
I’d me more than happy for you to ask me questions directly. I can be contacted as well on 021 431 848.
Thanks for reading this (hopefully someone will have read this far).
Antony
