Auckland Transport announces Adrienne Young-Cooper as new chairwoman
Wednesday, 18 December 2019
Auckland Council has appointed Adrienne Young-Cooper as the chairwoman of Auckland Transport (AT).
She will take over the three-year position vacated by Lester Levy from January 1, 2020, along with new AT director Darren Linton. Young-Cooper is expected to continue in her role as chairwoman of Auckland's urban regeneration agency Panuku in the short term.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff supported her appointment, praising her as a 'highly qualified and respected chair and director with 30 years of public sector experience'.
'Her in-depth knowledge and understanding of Auckland's challenges and about transport and its role in supporting housing development made her a standout candidate,' Goff said.
**READ MORE:
* Three NZTA directors resign in wake of fall-out over enforcement issues
* Panuku board member resigns after collapse of development company
* Panuku CEO Roger MacDonald resigns after mysterious leave**
'Transport and housing are two of Auckland's biggest growth challenges. To build a modern and successful city where people want to live, we need solutions that integrate transport choice with housing needs. Adrienne will bring this combined perspective across the work of two of our key council-controlled organisations.'
But Young-Cooper's tenure as chairwoman of Panuku hasn't been without controversy.
Panuku CEO Roger MacDonald resigned in November after a series of issues, including a controversial trip to the Bay of Islands paid for by a developer and an executive bonus scheme introduced under his watch. While board member Martin Udale resigned from the board of Panuku following the collapse of a company he was a director of.
Young-Cooper has previously been the chairwoman and deputy chairwoman of Housing NZ, chairwoman and director of Homes, Land and Communities (HLC), a director at the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and deputy chair of the Auckland Regional Transport Authority and Waterfront Auckland.
Adrienne Young-Cooper was one of three directors who resigned from the board of NZTA in January, along with deputy chairwoman Dame Fran Wilde.
The agency was under a wide-ranging review following a fallout over its poor enforcement of transport regulations, including the recall of almost 20,000 vehicles needing warrant of fitness retests.