Finance spokesperson for the Labour Party | MP for Mana

Hon Barbara Edmonds is the proud Member of Parliament for Mana, as well as the Finance Spokesperson for the Labour Party. The Mana electorate that covers Linden, Porirua and Raumati and Paraparaumu East.

Since becoming an MP in 2020, she served as the Minister of Internal Affairs, Economic Development and Minister for Pacific Peoples as well as Associate Minister for Health, Housing and Cyclone Recovery.

Before her promotion to Cabinet, she also served as the Associate Whip for the Labour Caucus and Chair of the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee. 

Before Parliament, Barbara acted as a senior advisor to Ministers under successive governments and was a key contributor to the Government’s law reforms following the March 15 Terror Attacks. Barbara was also heavily involved in the Government’s tax, social policy, small business, and economic response to COVID-19.  

Before the Beehive, Minister Edmonds worked in the Policy and Strategy, and Legal and Technical Services areas of Inland Revenue as well as private medical, and fire and general insurance industry. 

Barbara has been moulded and shaped by quintessential Labour values. The safety nets provided by previous Labour governments meant that as a child, she never fell through the cracks. She wants to use these values to make Aotearoa the best place for children to grow up.

Barbara lives in Titahi Bay with her husband Chris and their eight children. When she's not in Parliament, you can find Barbara actively engaging with her constituents, championing their concerns, and striving to create better opportunities for everyone in Mana and Aotearoa. She is passionate about equitable access to healthcare, economic policy that is people-centred and opportunities for New Zealanders to get ahead.

Leader, The Opportunity Party

Qiulae Wong is the leader of the Opportunity Party. She has spent her career fighting for better ways to do business. Now she’s fighting for a better way to do politics.

Qiulae grew up in One Tree Hill in Auckland and studied law and politics. After university, she stepped into the world of human rights and ethical business as a communications advisor for Be.Accessible - a social change campaign helping businesses realise the value of embracing the 1-in-4 Kiwis who live with a disability.

In London she combined her love of fashion and design with ethical business at the Ethical Fashion Forum - a global industry body driving sustainability in fashion. There she co-founded a tech start up, Common Objective, which supports sustainable sourcing and design and was backed by major brands like Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney.

Diving deeper into sustainable business, she then led the Impact team at Hoxby - a consultancy that helps businesses embrace the modern world of flexible and purpose-led work.

Back in Auckland Qiulae became the first Country Director for the B Corp movement - a global business certification that recognises businesses who balance profit with purpose. There she worked with leading local businesses like Kiwibank, Sharesies, and Blunt Umbrellas. From there, it was on to KPMG New Zealand, where Q supported some of our largest corporations tackle the transition to a low-carbon future. On the side, Q held several volunteer and governance roles including co-convenor of Kiwis in Climate and a Trustee of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa.

She believes that leadership is about taking the time to find common ground and build shared visions. She sees a future full of connected, resilient communities where diverse perspectives are respected and we care for each other. And of course, she continues to champion business as a force for positive change, in a world that needs it.

ILR School, Cornell University | Former Co-operative Retailing System Chair in Co-operative Governance (Canada)

Professor Dionne Pohler is an internationally recognised expert on co-operative governance and performance. She is based at Cornell University’s ILR School and previously held the Co-operative Retailing System Chair in Co-operative Governance at the University of Saskatchewan’s Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy and the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives. In this unique role, she worked closely with boards, executives and policymakers to understand why some co-operatives thrive while others fail, translating research into practical insights for resilient and values-based leadership.

Her research, including the landmark analysis of the Co-op Atlantic collapse, explores the governance, strategy and accountability dynamics that determine whether co-operatives adapt or unravel in times of market disruption and regulatory change.

Dionne’s work is relevant across all co-operative and mutual models, including agricultural and producer co-ops, consumer networks, buying groups and financial mutuals. She provides evidence-based and real-world lessons for directors and leaders who want to safeguard co-operative purpose, renew governance and build organisations that endure.

Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Saskatchewan | Director, Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives

Marc-André Pigeon is the director of the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives and an assistant professor in the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS). His research centres around the study of co-operatives, governance, and money and banking.

Before joining JSGS, Dr. Pigeon worked in policy roles at the Canadian Credit Union Association, as an advisor at the Department of Finance, a lead analyst for two Parliamentary committees (Senate Banking, Trade and Commerce; House of Commons Finance), an economist at the Levy Economics Institute, and a business reporter for Bloomberg Business News.

GM Sharesies Business

Susannah leads the B2B function of Sharesies across Australia and New Zealand. Serving over 600+ companies and 40% of listed NZX companies, she oversees teams specialising in ECM activities, employee equity and registry programmes and bespoke cooperative offerings across both listed and private companies.

She is passionate about innovating to improve outcomes for both companies and retail investors. Prior to Sharesies, Susannah spent seven years in investment banking, advising Australasian and international clients on M&A and capital raising, both private and listed issuers. She has also spent time in-house corporate finance at Meridian and is currently an independent Director of Delivereasy.

Managing Director, O’Connor Partners

Mike is managing director of O'Connor Partners, a firm of consulting financial analysts based in Ōtautahi Christchurch. O'Connor Partners consult extensively to New Zealand co-operatives, particularly around capital and governance structures.

Mike has been described by the CEO of one of New Zealand's largest agribusiness co-ops as 'one of the country’s foremost economists as it relates to the cooperative as a performance vehicle and as a capital structure for the pursuit of common goals for investors'.

He periodically lectures on the economics of co-operatives at post-graduate level at the University of Canterbury.

GM - Listings, Information Services, and Environmental Markets, NZX

Jeremy joined NZX in March 2017. He has significant experience working in the agribusiness, technology and financial service sectors across Australia and New Zealand. Prior to joining NZX, Jeremy led and executed Vodafone New Zealand’s agribusiness strategy.

Since working for NZX he has led the NZX Agri business, established and led the Information Services business, Markets Development and is now General Manager, Listings, Information Services, and Environmental Markets. His areas of expertise include; leadership, strategy development, sales management and innovation.