New Board Chairperson

TERRAIN NRM ANNOUNCES NEW CHAIRPERSON

WELCOMING BARRY HUNTER AS OUR NEW BOARD CHAIR

23 AUGUST 2023

Today, Terrain NRM announces the upcoming appointment of Barry Hunter as Board Chairperson.

Barry succeeds Keith Noble who, after 12 years on the Terrain NRM Board including eight as Chair, has announced that he will retire from the Wet Tropic region’s natural resource management board on 14 November.

Barry was first appointed to the Board in 2018. A descendant of the Djabugay and Jiddabul-speaking people of the Cairns hinterland, his career has included a broad range of roles in government, mining and not–for-profit organisations. He has a passion for working with indigenous land and sea rangers and has consulted on indigenous land management, the carbon industry and community economic development.

Terrain NRM CEO Stewart Christie said he was looking forward to working with Barry in his new role: “Barry brings a wide breadth of knowledge and experience and will provide important continuity for Terrain NRM as we position the organisation for the future. I would also like to thank Keith Noble for his invaluable contribution as chairperson since 2011.”

Outgoing Chair Keith Noble said Terrain NRM was privileged to have Barry on its board.

“A nationally recognised leader in landscape management, Barry also brings a continuous and unbroken connection to the Wet Tropics reaching back thousands of generations,” he said. “His input over five years has been integral to our development, collaborations and future aspirations.”

Barry said he firstly wanted to pay tribute to Keith and his leadership over the past 12 years, during a period where the not-for-profit organisation’s innovative thinking led to ground-breaking projects combining science and local knowledge.

A standout contribution has been his role in developing the Board’s ‘Emerging Leader’ program – to recruit and develop aspiring directors and future community leaders.

He said Terrain NRM’s strong partnerships, inclusiveness and ongoing strategic actions in natural asset management across the Wet Tropics region were key to his own decision to join the board, and to now take on the chairperson role.

“Terrain is integral to leadership of the region and management of our natural assets. We will be continuing to work with others – combining science, technical expertise, local knowledge, traditional knowledge and innovative solutions – to ensure a thriving and sustainable Wet Tropics region from the reef and rainforest to industry and economies.”