Q&A with the Privacy Commissioner - Michael Webster (CPD 1.0 hr)

Michael Webster

Michael Webster took up the role of Privacy Commissioner on 5 July 2022.  Prior to Michael’s appointment, he worked in the Cabinet Office, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet for 14 years and held the position of Secretary of the Cabinet and Clerk of the Executive Council from March 2014.

Mr Webster has a long history of public service, with expertise in policy development, corporate strategy and planning and risk management.  Mr Webster’s career has to date focused on enabling and driving good governance, the promotion of democratic rights and values, the development and application of codes of conduct and behaviour and working to ensure compliance with both statutory provisions and constitutional conventions.

Mr Webster holds a Master of Public Management and BA (Hons) from Victoria University of Wellington and is a graduate of the EY/Darden School of Business Programme, and the Executive Fellows Programme of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government.

Joanna Hayward

Joanna Hayward is the General Counsel for the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, leading the in-house legal team and advising on a variety of privacy issues including complaints, investigations, litigation, information sharing and policy matters, and law reforms.

Joanna has over twenty years legal experience in both private practice and as a government lawyer.  Prior to joining OPC in 2014 she was an adviser to the New Zealand Law Commission on information law reform projects including the law of privacy.  She has also practiced commercial and financial law in private practice in Wellington and Auckland and as an in-house lawyer in London.

Juliet Philpott 

Juliet Philpott has recently joined our Employment Law and Privacy Committee, bringing with her extensive experience as you will see from her bio below.

Juliet is a public and administrative law specialist at Hawkestone Chambers in Wellington. She has particular expertise in privacy and information law. Juliet has been practising for 20 years, including in London and Melbourne, and joined the independent bar in 2020 from Meredith Connell. She is a member of the New Zealand Law Society’s Human Rights and Privacy Committee and a member of the Wellington District Licensing Committee.

Rachel Burt

Rachel Burt is an employment and human rights barrister who has over 20 years specialist experience, including ten years at Dentons Kensington Swan, as senior counsel. Rachel is an AWI certified workplace investigator who has acted for numerous state sector and private organisations conducting large-scale investigations and cultural reviews over many years. Rachel is also a qualified mediator and restorative practice proponent, specialising in employment disputes. She provides advocacy and advice on behalf of clients regarding all matters related to employment law and professional conduct matters. As part of her work, Rachel often advices on privacy related aspects and works on cases throughout New Zealand.