The governing body of TAB NZ consists of up to 7 members appointed by the Minister for Racing.
TAB NZ Board
Mark Stewart MNZM (Chair)
Mark has a strong business and governance background. He is currently the chair of the Antarctic Heritage Trust as well as the ChristChurch Cathedral Reinstatement project. He is the Honorary Consul for Malaysia and is a trustee of the Hororata Community Trust.
Over a 40-year commercial career, Mark has been a director of a number of publicly listed companies and, through his family investment company Masthead Ltd, he has recently sold his interests in premium pet food company Ziwi Limited.
Mark has previously been the chair of Mainland Football Limited, a board member of New Zealand Football, chair of the Football Foundation and was on the organising committee for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup held in New Zealand in 2015. He has recently accepted an offer to be a trustee of the NZ Olympic Foundation.
In 2018, he was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for service to the community and sport. In 2012, he was conferred the equivalent of a knighthood from the Malaysian King, which carries the title “Datuk”, for outstanding service to the country.
Mark has received numerous awards for his work in the sporting sector, and was made a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management in 2001. Mark has held several other community roles in sport and business.
Anna Stove (Deputy Chair)
Anna has held a number of governance roles with private and listed organisations and is currently a Director of Rua Bioscience and Pacific Edge Ltd. Her drive is to support businesses with strategic growth, best practice governance & improving outcomes.
Anna has a successful corporate track record in leading and driving transformational change within the healthcare sector. She has significant global business experience having held a variety of senior executive roles within NZ, Asia Pacific and Europe, most recently as NZ General Manager for GlaxoSmthKline.
Anna was a Director of RITA and the interim TAB NZ Board, which ensures board continuity for the new organisation. She also brings strong commercial acumen and racing sector knowledge through her thoroughbred racing and breeding interests.
William (Bill) Birnie CNZM
Bill brings extensive governance experience in the racing and sporting sectors to the Board. The investment banker has previously served on the boards of Sport New Zealand and High Performance Sport New Zealand, the New Zealand Equestrian Federation, and the New Zealand Film Commission. He is currently a director of New Zealand Cricket and chairman of Far North Holdings Limited.
Bill led the development of BlackGold, which connects philanthropic investors with the sport system. He has also helped grow the revenue of children’s charity KidsCan during his time as chairman and led negotiations to establish the Wellington Regional Stadium, as well as serving as trustee for several arts organisations.
Bill was recognised for his work in many sectors in 2018 when he was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for services to governance, the arts, and sport.
Jason Fleming
Jason has a long-time interest in the racing industry and has also built a strong background in the financial sector. He has worked across all aspects of Class 4 gaming, and has racing industry experience at an executive and governance level.
Currently a managing director of a financial services company based in Hawke’s Bay, Jason built a career in structured finance overseas before returning to New Zealand to take up the reins as chief executive of East Coast Racing and Hawke’s Bay Racing Incorporated.
Jason holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) from Victoria University and is a member of the Institute of Directors, as well as being involved in a number of not-for-profit organisations in Hawke’s Bay. Jason has continued his association with racing through to ownership and breeding interests in thoroughbred racehorses.
Wendie Harvey
Wendie brings a legal background, with strong experience in strategy, business and culture transformation, to her board role as well as previous experience as a commissioner for the New Zealand Gambling Commission. She is a professional director with interests in strategy development, organisation change, infrastructure management and the promotion of health and safety in the workplace.
Wendie is currently a director of a number of organisations including Aurora Energy, Eastland Group, Hawke’s Bay Airport, The Electrical Training Company and Fire and Emergency New Zealand.
Raewyn Lovett ONZM
Raewyn has been a director at Sport NZ since 2018 and of High Performance Sport New Zealand Limited since 2022. She has significant experience in sports administration, as well as commercial and corporate law experience. A partner at Duncan Cotterill specialising in commercial law, Raewyn has held a variety of governance roles in the sport and not-for-profit sectors.
She is currently co-chair of the International Working Group on Women and Sport and chair of Dunedin Venues Management Limited. Her other current appointments include being a trustee of CHT Healthcare. Raewyn has previously been chair of Aktive - Auckland Sport and Recreation and Netball New Zealand, and was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to netball in 2015.