Ownership & Governance
Landcare Research is one of eight Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) formed in 1992 from a complete restructuring of Government (Crown) research department, principally all Divisions of the Department of Industrial and Scientific Research (DSIR) and Forest Research Institute. CRIs are Government-owned but function as independent companies, and must comply with Government expectations set out in the CRIs Act (1992) as well as with all other relevant legislation.
The activities and performance of Government-owned entities are monitored by the Crown Company Monitoring Advisory Unit (CCMAU). www.ccmau.govt.nz
Governance Framework
The Minister of Finance and the Minister of Research, Science and Technology each hold 50% of the company's shares on behalf of the public. The Shareholding Ministers appoint the Chair, Deputy Chair, and the five other directors to the Board of Landcare Research. All directors are non-executive. Board decisions are made collectively ¨C individual directors have no separate governing role. The Board evaluates its performance on an annual basis using a mix of CCMAU and Institute of Directors templates. Directors' remuneration is set by the shareholding Ministers.
Board Responsibilities
Board responsibilities include providing strategic direction, selecting, evaluating and recommending remuneration for the Chief Executive, succession planning for and appointment of the new Chief Executive, formulating policy, managing risk, ensuring legislative compliance, monitoring performance (economic, environmental and social), and communicating with the Shareholding Ministers and other stakeholders.
Planning and Reporting
In May and June each year, the Board negotiates a Statement of Corporate Intent (SCI) and a Strategic Business Plan for the next financial year with the Shareholding Ministers. The SCI sets out the company's core business, performance measures, and targets (financial and non-financial) for the coming year in accordance with the Operating Principles of the CRI Act (1992). The SCI is tabled in Parliament, and is a public document. All CRIs must produce a SCI, then report performance against the stated measures and targets.
All CRIs must produce an annual report by 30 September each year. The reports are tabled in Parliament, and each CRI's performance is reviewed by the Parliamentary Select Committee for Science and Education.
The Strategic Business Plan, which contains the key business initiatives and more detailed financials, is confidential to the CRI and Shareholding Ministers.
