Our Region

Nigel Smellie

Chair of the Central Otago Advisory Committee

nigel.smellie@findex.co.nz

Nigel is a Chartered Accountant and Partner of Findex Central Otago where he is responsible for helping businesses with all their business advisory requirements. He strives to provide relevant and reliable, accounting, taxation and business advice to all his clients.

Nigel is also the current Treasurer of the Alexandra Blossom Festival Committee.

In his spare time, Nigel enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter.

Brent Wilson

Independent Financial Planner at Central Financial Planning

brent@centralfp.co.nz

After a 13-year banking career, Brent spent most of the last twenty plus years as an independent financial planner, setting up Central Financial Planning in 2016.

With extensive governance, management, and lending expertise, in addition to Brent's Advisory Committee role, Brent currently holds executive positions with the Alexandra Golf Club, the NZ Tournament Water Skiing Association, the NZ Four Wheel Drive Association, the Alexandra Blossom Festival Trust and the Central Otago Flying Club. He also spent seven years on a national advisory board, liaising with corporates and regulators, representing his fellow advisers and striving to improve the standard of advice and solutions available to New Zealanders.

Tim Cadogan

Mayor of the Central Otago District

mayor@codc.govt.nz

Tim has been Mayor of the Central Otago District since October 2016. Prior to this he owned two businesses (in law and retail) and had also worked closely with the business community as a copywriter for the local radio station for a decade.  Tim considers being part of the Advisory Committee as a crucial function in his role as Mayor, as it allows high-level two-way communication helping business and council work together for the benefit of everyone in the community.

Mary Flannery

Partner at AWS Legal

mary.flannery@awslegal.com

Mary is a Partner at AWS Legal and practices in Rural/Residential property transactions, Irrigation issues, Trusts and Estates and Family law.

Mary was admitted to the Bar in 1987 and went on to develop her skills both here and in the United Kingdom. For a number of years, Mary then concentrated on raising her family and managing, with her husband, the family farm at Poolburn, Central Otago.

In 2004 Mary returned to law and has developed further skills in the areas of Rural Law, Private Client, Trusts, Estates, Relationship Property and Family matters.

Mary is a committed local focused on addressing the issues found in the Central Otago region in particular those surrounding Health and Irrigation. Mary is a former member of the Irrigation New Zealand Board and a current board member of Healthcare Otago Charitable Trust and an Ida Valley Irrigation Company Ltd director.

Mike Borthwick

Executive Director at Landpro

mike@landpro.co.nz

Born and raised in Southland, Mike started his career with the Royal New Zealand Navy’s Hydrographic Surveying branch. After numerous deployments around New Zealand and the South Pacific gaining experience in all aspects of Hydrographic Surveying, Mike left the navy to start a role in a survey consultancy firm in the south.

Mike then moved into a mining role at Macrae’s Gold Mine, before heading overseas to work on a variety of projects, including Oil and Gas, Railway, Roading and civil projects. At the start of 2008 Mike returned to New Zealand, and with his two business partners now runs consultancy firm LandPro.

With 30 years in the survey industry, Mike has experienced multiple changes in the market and can apply those lessons learned along the way.

Nick Lanham

Economic Development Manager at Central Otago District Council

nick.lanham@codc.govt.nz

Nick grew up in Alexandra but left at the end of high school to pursue higher education, a career and his OE. Six years ago, Nick, his wife Christine and his young family decided to return to Central Otago and they haven’t looked back.

As Economic Development Manager, at the Central Otago District Council, Nick’s role is about creating an environment for the economy to prosper in a way that meets the aspirations and values of the community. Day-to-day this may involve connecting individual businesses with council processes or government funding opportunities, undertaking research to inform decision and policy makers, working with groups of businesses to overcome a collective problem such as labour shortages or creating an eco-system to support start-ups in Central.

Sally Smith

​​sallysmith103@xtra.co.nz

A leading business identity across the Roxburgh and Teviot Valley district, Sally is the owner of the iconic 103 The Store on Roxburgh's SH1 and has business interests across other sectors. Sally is also the Roxburgh and Districts Business Group convener.

Sally brings to the committee a deep appreciation for retail, hospitality and the needs of the community.

Annabel Berry

Creative Director of Design Federation

Annabel is the Creative Director of Design Federation, an award winning interior design studio and retail store based in the heart of Oamaru.

 Annabel is passionate about the community in particular supporting new and emerging businesses, the revitalization of the CBD, being an advocate for retail and marketing of the district.

 She is also a Mother of three children and supports her husband Simon with their family business Whitestone Cheese.

Geoff Douch

Chief Executive of Network Waitaki

Geoff is the Chief Executive of Network Waitaki, a role he has held since joining the company in 2019.  Prior to joining Network Waitaki, Geoff held a number of leadership, management and operational roles in the electricity distribution sector in New Zealand and has had a close association with the wider infrastructure sector over that time.

 Network Waitaki is a 100% locally owned electricity network company based in Oamaru supplying over 13,100 connected customers in North Otago and parts of South Canterbury, as well as undertaking electrical contracting work across the Otago region and further afield. Network Waitaki is both a significant regional employer and also a key part of powering the local economy now and into the future, and has a strong connection with the local business community.   

 Geoff is also a Board member and the vice president of the Electricity Engineers Association, a membership based industry association.

Julia McClennan

Business Manager, Westpac

Julia is a business manager for Westpac in Oamaru and part of a wider South Island Team and has been with this Company for over 20 years.. She is an active member in the North Otago Community and is very interested in seeing business thrive and prosper in this district.

Cara Tipping Smith

Founder and Co-director of The Business Hive

Cara is the founder and co-director of The Business Hive, Oamaru's coworking space and business support centre. Cara was a professional copywriter in the UK before bringing her trade back home to NZ. Arriving in the Waitaki in 2016, Cara saw the opportunity deliver the kinds of business infrastructure and support she experienced in bigger cities at home and abroad. Cara is Chair of Stronger Waitaki's Economic Development Group, part of Stewardship Groups for Stronger Waitaki, Waitaki Ara Kahui Ako and the Waitaki Community Hub project. She is a passionate champion of SMEs with a drive to get things done.