CTU People

For a full list of CTU staff and contact details, click here 

Helen Kelly

President

Helen Kelly has been President of the CTU since 2007. She is the CTU’s chief spokesperson on a wide range of issues including economic development, employment law, climate change, social partnership and ACC.  A vigorous advocate for women’s pay and employment equity she also co-chairs the Workplace Health and Safety Council. Helen is responsible for CTU international work through the International Trade Union Congress and the International Labour Organisation.

Helen holds an LLB from Victoria University and is also a qualified teacher. It was in the teaching unions that her long professional involvement with the union movement began, holding senior office with both the New Zealand Institute of Education and the Association of University Staff. She served the AUS as General Secretary for five years until her election as CTU President. 

Helen leads the CTU's campaigning on pay and employment equity and she co-chairs the Workplace Health and Safety Council. She is also responsible for CTU international work through the International Trade Union Congress and the International Labour Organisation.  

Peter Conway

Secretary

Peter Conway was elected CTU Secretary in 2009. For the previous 9 years he was CTU Economist and Director of Policy.

Peter has been active in unions since 1977, when he became assistant secretary of the Canterbury, Westland, Nelson and Marlborough Clothing Trades Union. Peter has also been assistant national secretary of the New Zealand Distribution Workers Federation, an advocate for retail workers in the National Distribution Union, an educator with the Nurses Organisation and a director of Auckland’s Yellow Bus Company. For a period he was also Coordinator of the Hounslow Trade Union Support Unit and Centre for the Unemployed in London

Peter’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration and an MA in Economics. He is on the Board of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and is Chair of Oxfam NZ.

Sharon Clair

Vice President Maori

Sharon Clair was elected vice president Maori in 2005 after 29 years working in nursing and health, and most recently as the Policy Analyst Maori of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation.

Sharon qualified as a Psychopaedic Nurse and has a post graduate diploma in Rehabilitation with Otago University and is currently completing her thesis for a Master of Arts in Maori Development at Auckland University of Technology.  Sharon is a member of the Maori Women’s Welfare League, an executive on her hapu trust and continues her involvement in her whanau/hapu development and is a member of the Raukawa Treaty claim team.

As a union activist, commentator and advocate on Maori worker interests Sharon was the very first Maori woman to speak to the plenary of the United Nations International Labour Organisation (ILO) conference, at its 95th session in 2006. 

Sharon is the co chair of MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY in Aotearoa, an executive committee member on the National Consultative Committee for Disarmament, an executive committee member of the Peace Foundation Aotearoa, a representative on the inmate employment advisory committee and a regular political commentator on Radio Waatea.

With CTU Officer responsibilities that include the environment and Maori development Sharon is also heading the Maori workforce development project for Hui Taumata and is a member of the Maori reference group on Climate change.

Sharon is of Raukawa, Ngati Ranginui and Scottish descent. 

Richard Wagstaff

Vice President 

Richard Wagstaff was elected CTU Vice President in 2007. 

He is one of two national secretaries of the Public Service Association.

He began working at the union in 1988 as a researcher. He became an organiser three years later, working with PSA members in the health and disability sectors in Auckland. In 1997 he was appointed operations manager, responsible for PSA members throughout the country in the health and community sectors.  He took up his current position as a national secretary of the PSA in 2000.

Bill Rosenberg

Economist and Director of Policy

Bill Rosenberg was appointed Economist and Director of Policy at the CTU in May 2009. He holds a B.Com in Economics, a BSc in Mathematics and a PhD in Mathematical Psychology. Bill was previously Deputy Director, University Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of Canterbury, a Member of the Institute of Directors, a Commissioner on TEC, and was a member of the Regional Land Transport Committee of Environment Canterbury.

Bill Rosenberg is widely published on globalisation, trade and e-learning and has been an active trade unionist for 30 years including the Tramways Union and Association of University Staff where he was National President for several years.

Bronwynn Maxwell

Director of Organising

Bronwynn Maxwell is the Director of the CTU Organising Centre which encompasses all areas of worker representation and education.  Bronwynn manages two teams associated with the Organising Centre, one based in Auckland which delivers training nationally for union members, delegates and paid officials, and works with affiliates to support the work of key campaigns at a strategic and operational level; and a team in Wellington responsible for key CTU projects such as Learning Reps, Health & Safety and the Workplace Productivity Education Programme.

Bronwynn has been actively involved in the union movement since the early 1980s.  Her first union experience was a formative one, helping to establish the Early Childhood Workers Union (ECWU). Bronwynn worked for the ECWU as a paid official for five years having first served her apprenticeship as a delegate, member of the regional and national executive and then National Vice President.  Bronwynn then worked as a Regional Educator for TUEA (Trade Union Education Authority) before joining the Engineers Union as one of their first women organisers in 1991. As a paid official, Bronwynn has worked under four different industrial legislations and has experience in both private and state unions. Before joining the NZCTU in 2003, Bronwynn was employed as a Regional Branch Organiser for the Association of University Staff.

Bronwynn forms part of the CTU management team along with Helen Kelly, Peter Conway and Bill Rosenberg.