Rob Campbell

Rob Campbell receiving his Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit award at the 2020 New Year Honours. Robert James Campbell, (born 1951) is a New Zealand economist, trade unionist, businessman, and public servant. He has chaired several organisations and institutions including Resistance Bookshop, the Distribution Worker's Federation, Federation of Labour, Guinness Peat Group (GPG), SkyCity, Summerset Holdings, Tourism Holdings, Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand), and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). He has also served as Chancellor of Auckland University of Technology since 2019.

Between late February and early March 2023, Campbell was dismissed from his positions as chair of Te Whatu Ora and the Environmental Protection Authority over a social media post criticising the National Party's opposition to the government's Three Waters reform programme; which breached the Public Service Commission's neutrality policy.

Early life and education Campbell was born in Featherston in 1951 to a middle class European New Zealander family. Campbell and his family later moved to Hutt Valley, where his father worked as a banker. Campbell attended Hutt Valley High School where he played rugby. He also became the director of an anarchist bookshop called Resistance Books in Wellington's Willis Street.

Trade union career Campbell subsequently abandoned plans to pursue an academic career to focus on trade union activism. With the encouragement of trade unionist Pat Kelly, Campbell helped to negotiate a pay increase for road transport drivers.

In December 2021, Campbell was appointed as the new board chair of the national environmental regulator, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

In late February 2023, Campbell criticised the opposition National Party's campaign proposal to scrap the Labour Government's Three Waters reform programme in a LinkedIn post and accused the party's leader Christopher Luxon of "dog whistling" on the issue of co-governance. Campbell's remarks were criticised by several National and ACT MPs including Simeon Brown and David Seymour, who accused him of breaching the Public Service Commission's policy requiring the directors of Crown entities to remain politically neutral. Campbell defended his remarks, stating that they were made in his capacity as a private citizen and denied that he had violated the Commission's political neutrality policy.

On 27 February 2023, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins criticised Campbell's Three Waters remarks as "inappropriate." On 28 February, Health minister Ayesha Verrall used her discretionary powers under section 36 of the Crown Entities Act 2004 to relieve Campbell of his position as head of Te Whatu Ora. Though Campbell had apologised to Luxon and Verrall, the latter had demanded that he resign by 10:30 am on 28 February. Campbell had refused to resign but offered Verrall an apology and a "protocol" to handle future incidents, which was rejected. On 2 March, Environment Minister David Parker removed Campbell from his positions as chair and board member of the EPA over his Three Waters remarks. He also advocated shifting more funding towards kaupapa (cultural) Māori health services and increasing input from marginalised groups such as multi-ethnic, the disabled, LGBTQI communities, and women's health advocates.

Social justice In 2017, he argued that gender diversity, Māori identity, and New Zealand's nuclear-free policy were inseparable from "the removal of economic restrictions and regulations".

Personal life and community involvement Campbell is married to Judi Lambourne. He is a vegetarian, teetotaler, and drives an electric vehicle.

He is also involved with David Letele's BBM exercise community in Manukau, Auckland. As of 2020, Campbell chaired BBM's charitable trust and is a close friend and advisor of Letele. Through BBM's charitable trust and his corporate connections, Campbell has provided a range of social services to people from working class and socially disadvantaged backgrounds in Auckland including mentorship and financial assistance.

Awards In December 2017, Campbell was awarded both the Deloitte Top 200 chairperson of the year and the New Zealand Shareholders Association Beacon Award for business leader of the year.

In 2019, he was awarded a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business.

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