New Board appointments at MOTAT

October 2025

MOTAT is pleased to announce four new appointments to its Board as of 1 October.

They are: Liz Gosling, Chief Technology Officer & CISO at Auckland University of Technology (AUT); Heather Harris, Chair of the of the Paererewa Curatorial Board and a former director of the V&A Museum; Tom Irvine, Acting Director for Auckland Art Gallery and Tumu Whakarae (CEO) of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Whai Maia; and Simon Neale, Chief Property Officer at the University of Auckland.

Stepping down from the board are Gabriel Kirkwood, Dr Nicholas Waipara, Penny Webster and we thank them for their contribution and service to MOTAT.

Chief Executive / Museum Director Craig Hickman-Goodall said: “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Gabriel, Nick and Penny for their services and contribution to MOTAT and to welcome the new Board Members. Each one brings unique knowledge, expertise and experience to our already strong leadership and governance teams and Board Chair Amit Prasad and I look forward to working with them to achieve MOTAT’s vision and objectives.”

Liz Gosling

At AUT Liz leads a team of approximately 110 staff and oversees the information technology services for the university’s nearly 30,000 staff and students. She has attended the Harvard Graduate School of Education and completed the Institute of Educational Management intensive course.

Her key skills include leadership, strategy, governance, organizational change, communication, service management, relationship building, and people management. Liz brings governance experience from not-for-profits, membership organisations and a Crown company.

She currently serves on the boards of SAFE in New Zealand and CAUDIT in Australia.

Liz has been recognized in the top 20 of CIO Magazine’s Top 100 CIOs in New Zealand in 2017 and 2018. She was a CIO50 Award winner in 2023 and received global Infotech Benchmarking Awards in 2022 and 2024, for Service Delivery and for Leadership.

Heather Harris

For the past 10 years, Heather has worked in senior leadership roles in museums and galleries in New Zealand and internationally. She has been a Director at the V&A Museum in London, Director of Cultural Institutions at Tataki Auckland Unlimited and has held COO roles at Auckland and Australian Museums.

In her earlier career, she worked as a lawyer and in leadership roles in local and central government. She is highly qualified with degrees in Law, Arts and a Masters in Art History from the University of London.

As well as chairing the Paererewa Curatorial Board, Heather is also a Trustee of the Waiheke Art Gallery and Sculpture on the Gulf.

Tom Irvine

Tom was previously Deputy Director of the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, responsible for all aspects of operations and stakeholder engagement. He holds governance positions aligned with his mahi and values including MOTAT, Hauraki Gulf Forum, Taumata Toi a Iwi (Regional Arts Trust) and Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Art Gallery Advisory Committee.

During his career, Tom has worked at senior executive level in many commercial enterprises, led international sales teams, overseen process improvement and provided stewardship to client and key stakeholder relationships.

As a respected Māori leader with strong Iwi and civic engagement experience, Tom has a deep love for Tāmaki Makaurau and its people.

Simon Neale

Simon Neale has over 30 years’ experience in the property industry and has led the University of Auckland’s Property Services Division for the past six years. Prior to this he was the Director of Estates and Facilities at the University of Sussex in the UK and the Associate Vice President of Campus Infrastructure at the National University of Singapore.

Simon also has a long-standing interest in both conservation and environmental sustainability, and career has encompassed organisations such as the National Trust and British Museum in the United Kingdom, before focussing on education portfolios from 2008.

Simon sits on the Board of the New Zealand Green Building Council and is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

ENDS

For further information, images or interviews, please contact Nicole Parish, Communications Manager.