Welcome to our consultancy team. With a shared passion for ethical practices, we offer executive and practical expertise across industries to help businesses be proactive and responsible in respecting human rights.
David Rutherford
DIRECTOR
David is a Director of Tūhana Business & Human Rights Limited. He is a veteran in the field of business and human rights. He has been New Zealand’s Chief Human Rights Commissioner and chair of New Zealand’s OPCAT NPM. He is an independent business and human rights consultant, Special Advisor to the Centre for Sport and Human Rights. He is an independent expert member of the Commonwealth Advisory Board on Sport and chairs its Working Group on Governance, Integrity and Human Rights in Sport. He is trustee of the Attitude Trust.
David has 15 years’ experience as a corporate lawyer in three firms. He was a partner in Bell Gully. He taught sports law at master’s level and has over 15 years not for profit governance and management experience including roles as CEO NZ Rugby, Managing Director Special Olympics Asia Pacific, Board Member – Special Olympics Inc., Special Olympics New Zealand, Paralympics New Zealand, SANZAR Rugby, Shakers Netball, Eastbourne Rugby, Victoria University Rugby, Crop and Food, and Asia Pacific Forum of NHRIs.
David had senior leadership roles for over ten years in building material businesses (Fletcher Challenge) and agribusiness (Wrightson).
Email: david@tuhana.co.nz
Brent Wilton
DIRECTOR
Brent is a Director of Tūhana Business & Human Rights Limited. A New Zealand trained labour lawyer, he has spent the last 32 years representing companies and their representative organizations across a range of labour and human rights issues in countries around the world.
From 1999 to 2015 Brent was based in Switzerland with the International Organization of Employers (IOE) representing Business on global labour and social policy matters in the ILO (International Labor Organization) and across the UN and multilateral system, Worked with Trade Unions, NGOs, and Governments, negotiating and resolving issues related to human rights and worker exploitation.
Brent was involved in the discussions on the creation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, served on the Board of the UN Global Compact and was co-chair of their multi-stakeholder Labor and Human Rights Working Group.
From 2015 to 2020 Brent was the Global Director of Human and Workplace rights with the Coca-Cola Company. He is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Human Rights, a member of the FIFA Human Rights Advisory Board from 2017- 2020, a member of the Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment, co-chair of the Consumer Goods forum coalition working to end forced labour, and Director of the Geneva-based Centre for Sports and human rights.
Email: brent@tuhana.co.nz
Tim Gibson
DIRECTOR
Tim is a Director of Tūhana Business & Human Rights Limited. He is a successful international executive with strengths in strategy development and implementation, stakeholder management, and building high performing teams. He has been a Chief Executive in Government and held Managing Director and senior executive positions in co-operative, and public companies.
Tim’s career spans roles in the New Zealand Dairy Industry, in New Zealand, Asia and Europe. It includes Managing Director, Anchor (UK) Limited, Managing Director, North Asia, New Zealand Dairy Board, Group Director Global Strategy New Zealand Dairy Board.
Tim is the Chair Port Otago Ltd (port and property); Skills Consulting Limited (workplace training); LIC (Livestock Improvement Corporation, an animal genetics business); and Silver Fern Farms Ltd (New Zealand’s largest meat processing and sales business).
Email: tim@tuhana.co.nz
Margaret MacDonald Ph.D
ASSOCIATE
Margaret is a human rights specialist with over 20 years’ experience working in New Zealand and Southeast Asia. With specific expertise in social and economic rights, Margaret is recognised for her work with the private sector, government, and NGOs on corporate-related human rights responsibilities.
While working for the New Zealand Human Rights Commission from 2011-2021, she was principal advisor to the current and former Chief Commissioners and the Advisory and Research team. During this time she managed the Commission’s response to the Canterbury earthquake recovery; interagency social inclusion work following the terrorist attacks on the Christchurch mosques; national housing inquiry; business and human rights; and responsible sport programmes of work.
Recognising the need for civil society-led, cross-sector collaboration on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, Margaret was instrumental in the establishment of New Zealand Modern Slavery and Labour Exploitation Advisory Group in 2019 and served as co-chair.
Email: margaret@tuhana.co.nz