Our Leaders

WWF-New Zealand was established in 1975 as a Charitable Trust and is a registered charity (CC33788).

We are governed by a Board of Trustees and led by our CEO. 

Meet our CEO

"The urgent need to turn the tide on biodiversity loss in our ocean is one of the main reasons I decided to join WWF-New Zealand as CEO."

Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb

Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb

Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb joined WWF-New Zealand as CEO in March 2023, having previously served as Director of Policy at Aotearoa New Zealand's Department of Conservation. 

An experienced environmental policy leader, manager, and advocate, she has experience in the machinery of government and has led collaborative work programmes on a wide range of environmental policy issues. 

Kayla is also a subject-matter specialist in Treaty law, with a particular focus on the interaction between indigenous and colonial legal systems in the context of natural resource management.

You can follow Kayla on LinkedIn

Meet the Board

“I am really pleased to have joined forces with WWF-New Zealand. We are both completely committed to protecting and restoring our planet’s wildernesses and wildlife, atmosphere and oceans."

Hon James Shaw