Who got that job?

Were you one of the 28 people who applied for this job and wondered who got it? By KAREN GOA

Executive director, New Zealand Drug Foundation

Ross Bell's impetus for taking the top spot at the New Zealand Drug Foundation was "the fact that the organisation's main goal is advocacy and policy work on some fairly crucial issues facing the country".

Bell is no stranger to policy work. Born in New Plymouth, he gained a master's degree in International Aid and Policy Development at the University of Auckland, then spent the next three years at the university doing research and tutoring on such social issues as cot death among Maori and Pacific Islanders and the impact of free trade on the New Zealand workforce.

He moved to Wellington to take up an appointment as community liaison officer "to give a voice to churches, trade unions and NGOs about free trade" during Apec in 1999. Four years at Wellington's Citizen's Advice Bureau in social policy management honed government-lobbying skills needed for his newest role.

The foundation acts as an advocacy agency on behalf of its 100-plus members - mainly drug and alcohol treatment and education groups - "to reduce the harm of illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco". Funding is mainly by a Ministry of Health core grant but sponsors such as Mobil and private charities also contribute.

Bell's main goal is "to continue the work of a credible organisation, and for the organisation to be responsive to issues like P". "Policy makers can't always be as responsive as they need to be, so they need people like us to advise them."

While acknowledging that drugs such P are increasingly worrying, Bell, 31, maintains that the main issue is alcohol use and misuse, particularly among youth. The issues are partly cultural but easy accessibility is a problem - the foundation's "anti" position on the lower drinking age is well known.


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