New Rulings Panel appointments

Matthew Dunning KC and Paul Webber have been appointed as members of the Rulings Panel for a five-year term from 29 June 2023.

Mel Orange (Chair) and Lee Wilson have been reappointed for a second five-year term from 29 June 2023.

The Rulings Panel is an independent body that helps enforce the Electricity Industry Participation Code 2010. It determines breaches, hears appeals against decisions and resolves disputes about the Code.

Members are appointed by the Governor-General in accordance with a recommendation from the Minister of Energy and Resources, after consultation with the Minister of Justice and the Electricity Authority.

There are four members of the Rulings Panel: Mel Orange (Chair), Matthew Dunning KC, Lee Wilson and Paul Webber. The new members succeed Geraldine Baumann who was a member of the Rulings Panel since August 2016.

Background information on new appointees

Matthew Dunning KC - Matthew Dunning is a barrister and King’s Counsel with over 40 years of experience in commercial litigation, particularly competition and regulatory issues. He has advised many local and international businesses and represented them before New Zealand courts and regulatory bodies, including in relation to the operation of the electricity market and challenges to regulatory decisions. Prior to becoming a barrister in 2003, he was a partner at Russell McVeagh in Wellington, then Auckland.

Paul Webber - Paul Webber is an infrastructure specialist with a particular interest in pricing and economic regulation of utilities. He has more than 30 years of experience in the electricity industry in New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific, Asia and Africa. As a director of Wedgwood White Limited, he has provided pricing, economic regulation and investment analysis advice to utilities, governments and multilateral lending organisations over the last 23 years. Away from infrastructure, he is a trustee of Sailability Auckland and is involved in the governance of other organisations related to sailing for youth and the disabled.