Our Team
Myself and my family (Colette, Olivia and Josh) have lived and worked in Kaikōura for 7 years. In 2017, I was asked to bring my Christchurch earthquake rebuild experience to Kaikōura to assist the Council with their infrastructure rebuild. This saw the repair and replacement of over $40m worth of Council assets compromised in the earthquake. I have been in the Chief Executive Officer role at Council since February 2021. I have over 20 years of senior leadership experience in New Zealand and abroad. I started my career in international development in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. My role as CEO for the Council is focused around managing the strategic priorities and ensuring our team delivers on the commitments made to the community in the long-term plan and annual plans.
My family and I have lived in Kaikōura since 2023 and enjoy life in our beautiful district. With a results orientated career spanning dairy farming in South Africa, military operational service, blue chip Investment Bank experience in the UK and more recently senior positions across NZ local and central government, I have a passion for performance optimisation and am a pragmatic, solution focused people person.
My resilience and sense of humour developed from time spent in the UK military as a sergeant in the Royal Marine Commandos. I hold closely the Royal Marines values of Excellence, Integrity, Humility and Self-Discipline as well as respecting the value of a positive mindset.
My qualifications include, qualified management accountant (CMA), MBA, post graduate studies in Finance, Strategic management and a degree in Economics.
I am a trainee volunteer Kaikōura fire fighter, enjoy fitness, the outdoors, ‘beer & braai’s’ and getting out and about with my young family.
Born in the UK and holding B.Sc, M.Sc and Ph.D degrees in engineering, I spent the first 20 years of my career working in the mining industry in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
I then changed career direction, taking up a position in local government and subsequently becoming the Chief Executive of a North Island council for ten years before I again looked for a change, which brought me to Kaikōura and my current position in 2019.
I believe that one of the best things about being part of the small KDC team is that staff have a much greater variety of work than is typically found in larger organisations.
Like many others I am also deeply appreciative of the beauty of Kaikōura, and feel privileged to live here.
I hail from Cape Town, where I spent my formative years, followed by an 8 year stint working for Lufthansa out of Frankfurt, before emigrating to NZ in 1985. I graduated with a BA (Hons) First Class from Canterbury University before teaching German and English as a Second Language in Christchurch.
Our family of 5 with 3 lovely boys in tow moved to Kaikōura in 2004, seeking a rural lifestyle. Stephen and I started our olive grove and in 2006 I started work as the Adult & Community Education (ACE) Coordinator at Kaikōura High School.
In 2008 I started working at KDC as the Community Development Officer which morphed into a Social Recovery role after the earthquake. I am currently the Community Service Manager with a team of 12 and think I have the best job in the world with a fabulous team.
“Working with people is my passion and I am a strong believer in the proverb, “give people a fish and they eat for a day; teach people to fish, and you feed them for a lifetime”.
I have recently moved to Kaikōura and am Otago born and bred.
23 years serving in the NZ Army (Regular Force & Territorial Force) brought vast travels, including time in the Kaikōura and Marlborough Districts. I realised then, that Kaikōura is an awesome place.
As a qualified Carpenter, I started my career as a Building Inspector with Queenstown Lakes District Council then Central Otago District Council as a team leader.
A serious injury during a training accident forged a passion for ensuring buildings are safe for people, including those with disabilities.
I have seen the aftermath of a building fire that has resulted in tragedy.
Means of escape from fire is a priority for me, when assessing a building during the consent process or conducting Final Inspections for Code Compliance Certificates.
I am very friendly and approachable and have a great knowledge of most things Building Act, and Building Code Related. If I don't know the answer, I will do the research to find the answers.
I am the longest-serving Kaikōura District Council staff member and have worked for KDC since 1996. During that time, I gained my master’s degree in Public Sector Management, and was awarded the SOLGM Overseas Manager Exchange to British Columbia in 2014. Having built up extensive knowledge about local government finance, rates policies, and strategic plans, I play a key role in workshopping with our Council and staff for our Long-Term Plans, Annual Plans, Annual Reports, etc. As team leader for the Finance & IT team, I enjoy the enormous diversity of the role – every day is different.
I am passionate about local government, and love working at the hub of the Kaikōura community. Where else would I rather be?
I have lived within the Kaikōura District since 2001 and see Kaikōura to be my family's home. I wishes to see Kaikōura thrive in all aspects, environmental, cultural, social and economic. I am married with two children and am keenly aware of the importance of providing opportunities for future generations. I have over 25 years experience practicing as a planner and hold a degree in Resource Studies from Lincoln University. I am also a full member of the New Zealand Planning Institute and an accredited commissioner. Outside of work I enjoy outdoor adventures with friends and family, which typically involves hunting, spearfishing and completing my farming apprenticeship with my father-in-law.
Olga Joensuu
Operations Delivery Manager
