Bob Penter

Trustee

Bob Penter brings senior executive and governance experience across environmental restoration, iwi-Crown partnerships, resource management, biosecurity, education, infrastructure and health and safety.

Bob is Group Chief Executive of the Chatham Islands Enterprise Trust. He was the inaugural Chief Executive of the Waikato River Authority, where he established and led the Waikato River Clean-up Trust and one of New Zealand’s largest river restoration programmes. He has also led major environmental initiatives through the Whakamana te Waituna Trust and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, including species recovery, biosecurity, and iwi-led restoration projects.

A graduate of the Oxford Advanced Management & Leadership Programme, Bob holds science and arts degrees from the University of Canterbury and is a member of the Institute of Directors. Bob’s connection to the Chathams is also personal. He is married to a Chatham Islander, and his children were christened on the Islands and are connected to their Moriori imi. He is also a volunteer firefighter on the Chathams.