H25_5201

Chief Executive

Applications close: Sunday 31st August 2025

Lead an over $2B organisation delivering safe, sustainable homes and transforming communities for over 199,000 New Zealanders.
Drive a high-impact transformation – embed financial sustainability, deliver a Cabinet-approved Reset Plan, and champion cultural and performance excellence.
Influence at the highest levels – work closely with Ministers, iwi, and central agencies to shape New Zealand’s housing future.

THE OPPORTUNITY

This is a rare and career-defining opportunity to lead Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities, one of New Zealand’s most high-profile Crown entities. Following a comprehensive organisational reset and Cabinet-approved implementation plan, Kāinga Ora is now well-positioned to deliver on its mandate: providing safe, sustainable housing and building thriving communities across Aotearoa. With a renewed Board, strengthened leadership team, and a sharpened focus on commercial performance, accountability, and tenant outcomes, the next Chief Executive will play a pivotal role in sustaining momentum, embedding a high-performance culture, and reinforcing trust with Ministers, iwi, and the wider public sector.

THE ROLE

Reporting to the Kāinga Ora Board, the Chief Executive will lead a complex organisation with an operating budget of over $2 billion and responsibility for over 199,000 public housing customers across a portfolio of approximately 78,000 homes. The role requires delivery of the Cabinet-approved Reset Plan, including implementing the new operating model, embedding financial sustainability, overseeing a significant capital programme, advancing large-scale urban development projects, and championing technology transformation to enable frontline performance. The Chief Executive will be a trusted partner to the Board, Ministers, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, ensuring Kāinga Ora delivers tangible social and commercial outcomes for New Zealand communities.

THE CANDIDATE

You are an accomplished and credible senior executive with a track record of leading large, complex organisations through transformation while driving operational excellence and financial discipline. Politically astute and commercially minded, you are adept at building trusted relationships with Ministers, iwi, central agencies, and community partners. You bring strategic insight, cultural competence, and the ability to balance commercial imperatives with the delivery of meaningful social outcomes. Experience in large-scale housing, urban development, or infrastructure sectors will be highly regarded, as will demonstrated success in technology-enabled transformation and building high-performing leadership teams.