Te Tumu Whakarae Secretary and Chief Executive: Brad Ward
“Tēnā koutou. Ko Aoraki te maunga. Ko Hae Hae Te Moana te awa. Nō Ōtautahi ahau. Kei Te Whanganui a Tara ahau e noho ana. He Tumu Whakarae ahau mo Toitū Te Whenua. Ko Brad Ward tōku ingoa. Tēnā koutou katoa.”
Brad was appointed as Acting Chief Executive in July 2026.
He joined Toitū Te Whenua on secondment from the Ministry of Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport (MCERT). Before this, he was Acting Secretary and Chief Executive of the Ministry of Transport. Prior to that, Brad had been Acting Chief Executive of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
He has also held various leadership roles at the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment. Brad worked for AMP prior to joining the public sector in 2005.
An experienced system leader, Brad has worked across housing, transport, infrastructure and land management, leading at the intersection of policy, investment, regulation and delivery. He is recognised for working effectively with Crown entities, Ministers, partners and stakeholders.
Director, Office of the Chief Executive: Jonny McKenzie
Ko Remutaka te maunga. Ko Te Awa Kairangi te awa. He Ringatohu ki Te Tumu Whakarae mō Toitū Te Whenua ahau. Ko Jonny Mckenzie tōku ingoa.
Jonny is Director of the Office of the Chief Executive, having joined Toitū Te Whenua LINZ in 2022. He supports the Chief Executive and senior leadership team to drive strategic priorities, organisational performance and effective governance. He also supports the organisation’s relationship with the Minister.
Jonny has extensive experience across central and local government, with a focus on organisational effectiveness, strategy and people leadership. He works closely with senior leaders to align priorities and deliver outcomes.
Previously, Jonny was Head of People (Chief People Officer) at Toitū Te Whenua, where he led the People function and advised on workforce strategy, organisational change and employment matters. He also served as Acting Deputy Secretary – Organisational Effectiveness and was seconded to The Treasury as Chief People Officer during a period of significant change.
Jonny has held senior roles at Wellington City Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, leading work on organisational development, leadership capability and culture.
Outside of work, Jonny enjoys cooking, exploring new cuisines and working on renovation projects.
Kaihautū Customer Delivery: Jan Pierce
Ko Te Mata te maunga. Ko Tukituki te awa. Nō Heretaunga ahau. Kei Te Whanganui a Tara ahau e noho ana. He Kaihautū Customer Delivery ahau. Ko Jan Pierce ahau.
Jan was appointed Kaihautū Customer Delivery in August 2021.
She joined Toitū Te Whenua as Deputy Chief Executive Location Information in 2009 and then as Deputy Chief Executive Location Information, Policy and Overseas Investment.
Over the past 10 years, Jan has represented New Zealand at many international forums including the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management Committee of Experts, International Hydrographic Organisational General Assembly, Geospatial World Forum, Australian and New Zealand Spatial Council, and the Cambridge Conference.
Jan chairs and has participated in many groups across central and local government, including the LINZ Resilience Board, Provincial Growth Fund Elevation data programme, Māori Land Service project, and the Natural Resources Sector Leadership Group.
Jan is the New Zealand lead for the Australia and New Zealand Satellite Based Augmentation System programme in partnership with GeoScience Australia.
Before joining Toitū Te Whenua, Jan spent 8 years as a member of the senior leadership team of rural financial services company Farmers Mutual Group. She started her career in the banking sector, followed by several years in the health sector, where she was the Human Resources Manager of a large Crown Health Enterprise.
Kaihautū Digital Delivery (Acting): Dave Conning
“Ko Pukeatua Ranges te maunga. Ko Te Awa Kairangi te awa. Nō Kairangi ahau. Kei Te Whanganui a Tara ahau e noho ana. He Kaihautū Digital Delivery mō Toitū Te Whenua ahau. Ko Dave Conning tōku ingoa.”
Dave is Acting Kaihautū Digital Delivery. He leads Digital Delivery, which sets our technology and data direction and delivers secure, reliable and customer-centred digital services that support New Zealand’s land and property systems.
Dave joined Toitū Te Whenua LINZ in 2016 and has held a range of senior roles across the organisation, most recently Director Digital Delivery. He has acted as Kaihautū Digital Delivery several times and has supported the modernisation of Landonline. Earlier in his time at LINZ, he advised Deputy Chief Executives and led HR operations.
Before joining LINZ, Dave held senior human resources leadership roles at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and Public Trust. He began his career in the private sector at AMP Capital Investors.
With more than 40 years’ experience across the public and private sectors, Dave brings strong people leadership alongside his digital delivery experience. He has deep expertise in organisational change and culture, and a clear understanding of how LINZ’s systems and people work together.
Outside of work, Dave is a keen musician who plays trombone and tuba in several orchestras and bands. He also enjoys spending time with his whānau.
Kaihautū Enterprise Services / Head of Public Affairs and Customer Experience: Nic Chrisp
“Ko Hikurangi te maunga. Ko Waioeka te awa. Ko Tūranganui-a-Kiwa te whenua i tupu ake au. Kei te taha o Waikato awa e noho ana au. Ko Chrisp tōku whānau. Nō Ngāi Tahu āku tamariki. Ko Nic Chrisp tōku ingoa. Tēnā koutou katoa.”
Nic was appointed Kaihautū Enterprise Services in March 2026. Her responsibilities span enterprise-wide functions including Business and Commercial, Strategy and Policy, Risk and Assurance, People and Capability, Legal, Business Management, and Public Affairs and Customer Experience (PACE).
Since joining LINZ as Head of Customer Engagement in 2023, and moving to lead the PACE team in 2025, Nic has championed customer voice in organisational priorities, lifted cross-agency collaboration and helped modernise how services are designed and delivered, ensuring services are shaped by real experiences and grounded in trusted relationships. Her work integrates data, insights and emerging technologies, including AI, to improve decision-making, strengthen engagement and deliver better outcomes for Aotearoa New Zealanders.
With more than 20 years’ experience across the private, not-for-profit and public sectors, Nic brings senior expertise in customer experience, public affairs and enterprise leadership. She has a deep appreciation for the work of Toitū Te Whenua – LINZ, and outside of work, spends as much time as possible with her kids in the outdoors, enjoying Aotearoa’s stunning moana, whenua and arawai.
Senior Responsible Office, STEP: Murray Young
Ko Ruapehu te maunga. Ko Tongariro te awa. I tupu ake au i Te Tihi o Maru. Kei Te Whanganui a Tara ahau e noho ana. He Kaihautū Digital Delivery ahau. Ko Murray Young tōku ingoa.
Murray joined Toitū Te Whenua in November 2019 and his focus is ensuring we’re a digitally led, agile organisation that puts customers at the centre of what we do.
Central to his role is overseeing the modernisation of Landonline – the system used for managing New Zealand’s property surveys, titles and transactions. He also provides governance and direction on how we use technology to ensure the data we hold is easily accessible.
Prior to Toitū Te Whenua, Murray held a number of senior leadership roles across the public and private sectors that encompassed operations, strategy, finance, change and information.