Patrick Landrigan

Patrick Landrigan is a Chartered Accountant with 20 years of experience in public practice chartered accountancy. As an additional string to his bow, he is also a qualified Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court New Zealand (non-practicing). Patrick is Taranaki born and bred and attended New Plymouth Boys’ High School. He graduated from Victoria University with a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce and Administration (Accounting) degrees. He went on to join international accounting firm PwC for 5 years followed by a further 3 years with KPMG, both in Wellington. Patrick returned home to Taranaki in 2014 to work alongside his father, Kevin, in public practice at BDO Taranaki, and in 2021 Murphy & Landrigan (once a family firm founded by Patrick’s grandfather John Murphy) was re-born under Patrick’s leadership.

Patrick taught in the accounting degree programme at Victoria University of Wellington from 2006-2013, and held an academic staff role with WITT from 2019-2021 teaching accounting. He currently also holds an academic role with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand as part of the Chartered Accountancy programme. Outside of the professional realm, Patrick is an avid horse enthusiast, co-owning a 30-acre horse farm in Brixton, Taranaki. His extensive experience in managing this secondary business endeavour is a wealth of knowledge that he generously imparts to his clients.

Patrick's personal commitments also extend to the arts, having dedicated 13 years as the Sales and Marketing Manager for the New Plymouth Operatic Society, and project manager and tour manager for the NZ Musical Theatre Consortium. Patrick was appointed Chair of the new WITT Board by ministerial appointment from WITT’s formation as a new crown entity on 1 October 2026.

Jonathan Young

Jonathan Young is an experienced leader in public policy, energy innovation, and community engagement. He is the former Member of Parliament for New Plymouth with 12 years of legislative and governance experience and formerly Head of Industry and Government Engagement for Ara Ake, the national energy innovation centre. He has a proven ability to navigate complex policy landscapes, foster cross-sector collaboration, and deliver impactful results in energy transition, regulatory policy, and economic development. Jonathan is currently a director of Alphacrucis College (AKL), a councillor of Taranaki Regional Council, and a board member of Herenga a Nuku (The Outdoor Access Commission).

Jonathan was born in South Taranaki, with secondary education in New Plymouth and Hawera. After graduating from the Palmerston North Teacher’s College, he commenced his teaching career in Hawera, eventually returning to Taranaki in 2008 to win the New Plymouth seat in the General Elections that year. He lives in New Plymouth with his wife Maura, with children and grandchildren in Queensland, Whangarei and Auckland.

Arun Chaudhari

Arun brings more than 40 years of leadership experience across maritime, energy, infrastructure, and business sectors, including over 20 years in senior executive roles. He began his career at sea, completing an international maritime apprenticeship and progressing to Ship’s Captain on large crude oil tankers. After 20 years at sea, he transitioned into senior leadership roles within New Zealand ports, primarily at Port Taranaki, where he was responsible for petroleum and petrochemical operations, maritime security, business development, and emergency and business continuity planning.

As the current CEO of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce (a role he has held since 2017), Arun has led the organisation through a period of significant growth, doubling revenue and increasing net assets five-fold, while strengthening the Chamber’s regional and national influence. Throughout his career, he has worked at the interface between industry, regulation, and skills development, with a strong focus on ensuring education pathways align with current and future workforce needs.

A past student of WITT, Arun is a strong advocate for tertiary education and applied learning. He has maintained a long-standing relationship with the Institute, working closely with WITT leadership, serving on interview panels for Executive Leadership Team appointments, and delivering the keynote address at the 2025 WITT Graduation ceremony. Arun sees WITT’s role as pivotal to Taranaki’s economic transition and is keen to contribute his experience, networks, and strategic insight to support its ongoing success.

Arun has held several board positions locally and nationally and currently sits on the National Chambers of Commerce Board. He is also on the executive committees of the Taranaki CEO Forum, the local branch committee of the Institute of Directors and on the executive committee of the Taranaki Indian Association.