Ministerial inquiry panelist Bayfield stands down

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

PANEL member Bill Bayfield has stood down from the ministerial Inquiry into land use in Tairāwhiti/Gisborne and Wairoa.
Inquiry chair Hekia Parata said Mr Bayfield had acknowledged that entering into discussions with Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, following their approach, regarding providing them with assistance in their recovery at the end of the inquiry compromised his independence.
Accordingly, Mr Bayfield has stood down from the inquiry.
Mr Bayfield is a resource management and environmental management consultant and was the establishing chief executive of Taumata Arowai, the water services regulator. 
Environment Minister David Parker and Forestry Minister Stuart Nash are to appoint a replacement person to the three-person panel.
The third member of the panel is Matthew McCloy, a director at Forest Engineering New Zealand Ltd.
His background is in forestry engineering, including as a manager for Rayonier in Gisborne and consultancy work on the remediation of forestry sites and stream crossings in the eastern Bay of Plenty.
He also has international experience in sustainable forestry practices in Fiji, Australia, Sweden, Finland, and China.
Ms Parata, a former Cabinet minister and a Tairāwhiti resident, has substantial experience in the public sector and in engaging with iwi and Māori interests and has worked for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)