Biosecurity awareness critical for NZ says chairman

Graeme Marshall.

Graeme Marshall has been chairman since late 2012 of the Biosecurity Ministerial Advisory Committee.

"Biosecurity is something I feel very passionate about," he said.

While company directors in the Bay understood its importance because of Psa, across the country generally there was less understanding of the implications of biosecurity incursions, he said.

"There's a tidal wave coming at us and the risks are getting enormous. A lot of people don't understand it's not just the primary sectors that are hit, there's a huge knock-on effect across other sectors like tourism. Awareness is critical."

Mr Marshall also sits on the Bay of Connections governance group and is the Regional Growth Study Action Plan Development Champion.

"I think the cohesion and collaboration between the various sub-regions in the BOP is not as well appreciated in the region as it could be."

The Bay received strong support from government because it came up with proposals that were tangible, well thought-out and agreed upon. He is a member of the Institute of Directors and is a strong advocate of small business owners becoming more aware of their governance obligations. But he noted they should not become too risk averse.

"I have a strong view that directors are there to add value to a business. While they need to meet their statutory compliance obligations, this shouldn't be at the expense of fulfilling their strategic role to help develop their organisation. Chief executives and management should walk out of a directors' meeting with a sense of clarity and inspiration because of the value they have received from their board. This applies in times of both growth and retrenchment."