IAB New Zealand launches Wellington industry council

IAB New Zealand has launched a Wellington Industry Council, its fifth industry council.

The new body is the first of IAB New Zealand's councils to be organised around a region rather than a practice area. It brings together 16 founding members from government, media, agencies and technology in the capital.

The council was created to connect Wellington's digital advertising and marketing community more closely with the national sector and the wider IAB network. IAB New Zealand represents the digital advertising industry in Aotearoa and already runs councils covering Data, Privacy & Measurement, Digital Effectiveness and Emerging Technology, alongside 13 specialist working groups.

Its board said the Wellington structure reflects the capital's distinct role in the market. The city combines central government departments with a growing base of digital and marketing professionals, giving it a different profile from other centres in New Zealand.

Rob Hutchinson, Board Chair at IAB New Zealand and Chief Digital Officer at TVNZ, described the move as an important step for the sector. "Wellington has always had a strong and distinct digital community - this Council gives it a dedicated home and a direct connection to the global IAB network for the first time," Hutchinson said.

Angelina Farry, Chief Executive Officer of IAB New Zealand, said the organisation's international links were relevant to both public sector and agency work in the capital. "IAB's global network does significant work on privacy, AI, and digital advertising standards - work that is directly relevant to government communicators and the agencies that partner with them. This Council gives us a permanent presence in Wellington for the first time and, as we build the Council, a way to make sure that knowledge flows in both directions," Farry said.

Public and private

The council will be co-chaired by Kaitlin Mitchell, Business Director at MBM Wellington, and Paul Halford, Manager, Campaigns, Public Affairs at the Ministry for Primary Industries - Manatū Ahu Matua. Their appointments reflect IAB New Zealand's effort to bridge public and private sector perspectives in a city where government advertising plays a significant role.

Mitchell said Wellington's communications and media environment differed from other parts of the country. "Wellington operates at the intersection of government communications, digital media, and agency expertise in a way that is genuinely distinct from other markets. Having a dedicated Council means we can develop resources and conversations that are relevant to the organisations and practitioners here," Mitchell said.

Halford said the local advertising market was shaped by the goals of public sector campaigns. "The advertising industry is unique in Wellington because of the role of government, and the outcomes public sector advertising is focused on achieving. Credit should go to IAB for seeing the value in setting up a forum where Wellington voices are represented in national digital and media industry conversation," Halford said.

Founding members

The 16 founding members include representatives from large national organisations and Wellington-based agencies. They are Craig Delany, General Manager Interactive at MetService and Vice Chair of the IAB New Zealand Board; Sam Harris, Partner at EightyOne Media; Emma Howes, Digital Personalisation Manager at ANZ Wellington; Zelzob Joy Kakkat, Media Lead at Hemisphere; David Laterveer, Wellington Agency Account Director at Stuff; Erin McCauley, Business Director and Head of Planning at OMD Wellington; Georgia McNaught, Client Principal at Together; Matt McNeil, Co-Founder of The Media Lab; Tim Pointer, Founder of Reason Agency and Rescue.Metrics.com; Nikki Stevens, General Manager, Agency Team Wellington at NZME; Craig Strachan, Lower North Island Sales Manager at Go Media; Kate Thomson, Business Director Media at VML; Alicia Tutty, Media Partner at Bastion Aotearoa; and Nancy Ledger, Industry Manager at Google.

The line-up gives the council representation across media owners, agency groups, technology companies, financial services and public institutions. It also underlines how strongly Wellington's advertising market relies on links between central government work, commercial media and specialist digital services.

IAB New Zealand was established in 2007 as a not-for-profit trade association for interactive advertising. It is part of a network of 45 IAB organisations around the world, giving New Zealand members access to shared work on standards, privacy and other industry issues.

The launch gives Wellington a formal seat within that structure through a council designed specifically around the capital's market, rather than a single discipline or technical area.