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Our advisory panel

The independent advisory panel advises on issues arising from the technical and ethical requirements of operating the carboNZero programme. Terms of reference for the panel. Current panel members are:

• Chair - Melanie Hutton (Ministry of Transport)
• Sue Chetwin (Consumer NZ)
• Jim Renwick (Royal Society of New Zealand Council)
• Joanna Silver ( Markit Environmental Registry)

	Chair - Melanie Hutton, Senior Advisor, Ministry of Transport Melanie Hutton currently advises on climate change, international negotiations around bunker fuels and emission reduction opportunities within New Zealand's transport sector. She has a background in botany and environmental campaigning, most significantly forest conservation in New Zealand, and from 2001 to 2007, climate change work and management for WWF in Australia and New Zealand, and internationally for the Antarctic region. She led WWF New Zealand to become carbon neutral in 2006 and has been carbon neutral at home for the last two years. Other interests include: avid tree planting and gardening, reusing and recycling, train catching and skyping help her maintain a low carbon lifestyle.
	Sue Chetwin, Consumer NZ Sue Chetwin is the Chief Executive of Consumer NZ. At Consumer, Sue is responsible for the organisation’s research and commercial publishing activities. In addition she is the Consumer’s public spokesman on current consumer issues and its representative on a number of industry and government organisations. The principal aim of Consumer is to collect and disseminate information and in so doing, advance the interests of its subscribing members and those of consumers generally. This is achieved through research, the publication of Consumer magazine and through consumer.org.nz. Sue joined Consumer two years ago, after more than 25 years in news journalism. She has edited all three of the country’s Sunday newspapers and was a business manager at NZ Magazines, publisher of The NZ Listener and NZ Woman’s Weekly.
	Joanna Silver, Markit Environmental Registry Joanna Silver is the Head of Ecosystem Markets at Markit Environmental Registry, a UK and NY based company which offers a robust registry platform for carbon credits and other ecosystem credits. Joanna takes an active interest in the evolution of the voluntary and compliance carbon markets, and also the emerging marketplace for biodiversity conservation and water quality. Joanna has a strong legal background, extensive international experience in carbon and financial markets and has strong local and global networks within the carbon field.
	Dr James Renwick, Royal Society of New Zealand Council (Earth Sciences & Technologies) Dr James Renwick leads a research programme on climate variability and change at NIWA in Wellington. He has worked in the area of climate and atmospheric dynamics since the late 1970s, starting as a weather forecaster at the Meteorological Service. He acted as a lead author on Working Group I of the IPCC 4th Assessment Report, dealing with observed changes to the large-scale circulation of the atmosphere. He also serves on the World Meteorological Organisation Commission for Climatology Expert Team on Seasonal Forecasting. In terms of reducing his own carbon footprint, James does not own a car, travelling mostly by bicycle and public transport, or on foot. At home, he uses energy-efficient lighting, and reuses and recycles as much as possible.

The panel's terms of reference:

• To offer advice on issues of environmental policy.
• To be available for consultation by the managers of the carboNZero programme.
• To scrutinise the activities of the carboNZero programme for environmental and social integrity to mitigate the risk of being perceived as 'greenwash'.
• To consider appeals by organisations declined carboNZero certification brought to the panel by the carboNZero technical manager.

The panel may:

• Call for any data relating to the activities of the carboNZero programme.
• Make recommendations to the management of the carboNZero programme.
• Call for third-party audits of certified organisations where there is reasonable concern that an organisation may no longer be complaint with the requirements of the carboNZero programme standard for certification.
• Make known to the managers of the carboNZero programme any concerns related to the credibility and integrity of the programme.
• Make public any concerns if necessary and appropriate. Make public is a last resort following discussion at a panel meeting and following notification to Landcare Research.

Managers of the carboNZero programme will:

• Convene at least three meetings a year at a time and a place convenient to the majority of members while minimising greenhouse gas emissions due to travel.
• Offer the panel information about all proposed and continuing project activities.
• Provide the panel with a list of all contracted clients.
• Provide the panel with evidence that the carboNZero programme has fulfilled or has the resources to fulfil its obligations with respect to the supply of carbon credits.

Appointment and conduct of panel members:

• Panel members are appointed by the Landcare Research Board of Directors (the board).
• The number of panel members and membership is at the discretion of the board.
• The panel may recommend replacement panel members to the board with a view to maintaining the balance of expertise and experience.
• Panel members are appointed for three years; this term is renewable for one further term, after which the panel member may be reappointed on an annual basis.
• Panel members can be appointed to represent their organisations or in their individual capacity.
• Panel members may resign from their role on the panel during their term by giving three months' notice in writing to the board; one subsequent meeting will normally be attended.
• If a panel member leaves the employ of the organisation that they represent on the panel, the board may choose to ask the panel member to continue or resign from the panel.
• While appointed for three years, the board may ask any member to resign at any time.
• Panel members may be consulted on a personal basis by letter, telephone, email, fax, individual meetings or through participation in the quarterly panel meetings.
• The usual practice is that panel members provide advice on a voluntary basis where the organisations they represent have agreed to pay for their time in full; however, the board may choose to pay individuals acting as experts in their own capacity.
• Panel meetings will be held at a location that minimises the collective travel required by panel members; typically panel meetings will be held in Wellington.
• Panel members are required to declare any potential for real or perceived conflicts of interest to the chair and to other panel members; the panel will decide how to manage that issue.
• Panel members are subject to a confidentiality agreement with Landcare Research that requires confidentiality with respect to information about carboNZero programme participants.
  

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