Kellie Coombes is the Chief Executive and Secretary for Women at Manatū Wāhine Ministry for Women. The Ministry is the New Zealand Government’s principal advisor on improving the lives of wāhine women and kōtiro girls in Aotearoa New Zealand. Kellie leads the agency’s work to improve outcomes for wāhine Māori, increase women’s social and economic wellbeing and participation in society, and ensure that women and girls are safe from all forms of violence. Kellie works with others within and outside of government to make progress on these outcomes and champion diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Prior to her current role, Kellie held the role of Deputy Commissioner, System and Agency Performance at Te Kawa Maataho Public Service Commission for five years. Here, Kellie’s group played a key role in driving system and agency performance including the recruitment, appointment, and employment of chief executives across the New Zealand Public Service and engagement with Crown entities.
Throughout her career, Kellie has held several other senior leadership roles across a range of public sector agencies in New Zealand, including a period as the Private Secretary for the Minister of State Services.