MATES in Construction New Zealand announces the departure of our Chief Executive Victoria McArthur.
This week Victoria addressed the team, sharing that having led the organisation since inception in August 2019, now is the right time for her to pursue new opportunities.
Under Victoria’s leadership, MATES has inducted more than 50,000 workers in the General Awareness Training Programme and delivered that programme to nearly 1600 construction sites, making a difference every day to the lives of construction people up and down the country.
Dan Ashby, Board Chair, praised the commitment and drive that Victoria has shown throughout her tenure to build and foster what MATES has now become.
“The Board wishes to record its appreciation for the key contribution Victoria has made in establishing MATES in New Zealand from scratch to now being a major contributor in supporting the mental health and well-being of our industry’s 300,000 construction workers in their workplace.
“Victoria has overseen the growth of our organisation from a small team in a dusty site office in Auckland, to our current 30+ MATES deploying our suicide prevention programmes and support services ‘on the ground’ in five centres across Aotearoa.”
Victoria said she would always be a cheerleader for MATES.
“I have a real belief in MATES, the values, what it stands for. MATES isn’t an organisation. We are a movement. We are something that everyone has joined because they wanted to be part of something that is really making change in the wellbeing of our industry and our people.
“I’m looking forward to watching the continued success of MATES and I’ll continue to cheer MATES on from the sideline.”
Victoria will leave MATES on May 12. The Board has appointed John Chapman as Acting Chief Executive.
