Ownership & governance
Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research is one of seven Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) formed in 1992 from a complete restructuring of Government (Crown) research department, principally all Divisions of the Department of Industrial and Scientific Research (DSIR) and Forest Research Institute. CRIs are Government-owned but function as independent companies, and must comply with Government expectations set out in the CRIs Act (1992) as well as with all other relevant legislation.
Our performance is monitored by the Science, Skills and Innovation Group within the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment on behalf of our shareholding Ministers.
Governance Framework
The Minister of Finance and Minister of Science and Innovation each hold 50% of the company’s shares on behalf of the public. The shareholding Ministers appoint the Chair, Deputy Chair, and the six other directors to the Board of Manaaki Whenua. All directors are non-executive. Board decisions are made collectively – individual directors have no separate governing role. The Board evaluates its performance on a regular basis. The Board is also charged by the shareholding Ministers to take strategic advice from both leading scientists and key stakeholder partners through our Science Advisory Panel and our Outcome Advisory Panel.
Board Responsibilities
Board responsibilities include providing strategic direction, selecting, evaluating and recommending remuneration for the Chief Executive, succession planning for and appointment of a new Chief Executive, formulating policy, managing risk, ensuring legislative compliance, monitoring performance (economic, environmental and social), and communicating with the shareholding Ministers and other stakeholders.
The CRI reforms transferred significant accountability for investing in science and innovation to CRI Boards. Manaaki Whenua receives approximately $24 million per year of revenue from government in a Core Funding Agreement with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employments (MBIE). The Board is responsible to shareholding Ministers for the impacts and value achieved from investing this funding in our research and technology transfer to deliver on four National Outcomes for New Zealand, (see the Statement of Core Purpose).
The Board appoints directors of wholly-owned subsidiary companies.
Planning and Reporting
In May and June each year, the Board negotiates a Statement of Corporate Intent (SCI) for the next financial year with the shareholding Ministers. The SCI sets out the company’s core business, performance measures, and targets (financial and non-financial) for the next five years in accordance with the Operating Principles of the Crown Research Institutes Act 1992. The SCI is tabled in Parliament, and is a public document. All CRIs must produce an SCI, then report performance against the stated measures and targets.
All CRIs must produce an annual report by 30 September. The reports are tabled in Parliament, and each CRI’s performance is reviewed by the Parliamentary Education and Science Select Committee.
