Joan Withers, the chair of state-owned power company Mighty River Power, is to join the board of the country’s biggest bank, ANZ New Zealand, from the start of July. The appointment has been approved by the Reserve Bank, and will come after the sell-down of the Government’s stake in Mighty River Power.
Withers will join former Foodstuffs boss Tony Carter and Norman Geary as independent directors on the board.
As well as being chair of Mighty River Power, Withers heads the board at Auckland International Airport and is deputy chair of Television New Zealand. Before becoming professional director, she was the chief executive of Fairfax Media New Zealand and The Radio Network before that.
Withers was finalist in the Chairperson of the Year Award category of the Deloitte/Management magazine Top 200 Companies Awards in both 2011 and 2012. M
2026 Diversity Awards NZ finalists announced
Management Editorial Team
February 16, 2026
Finalists in the 2026 Diversity Awards NZ have been announced, with the judges recognising 50 entrants for the mahi they are doing to grow inclusive workplaces across Aotearoa New Zealand.
