Senior leadership team

Led by Director-General Penny Nelson, the Senior Leadership Team provide clear, decisive leadership for the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Together, they set our vision, purpose and values and shape our strategic direction.

Penny Nelson

Penny Nelson is the Director-General of DOC. 

More about Penny Nelson

Sia Aston

Sia Aston | Credit: Lance Lawson

Sia Aston is our Deputy Director-General Public Affairs. She leads a high-performing group focused on building trust, confidence, reputation and relationships.

Sia has a background in journalism and worked for a decade as a TV political reporter. She was Press Secretary to a senior cabinet minister and Chief Press Secretary to a former prime minister. As well as these challenging roles, Sia was General Manager Communications at the Public Service Commission. She’s weathered three elections and honed her skills in risk and crisis management.

Sia loves being part of the team at DOC, supporting the mission to protect and preserve New Zealand’s precious natural heritage.  

Family is important to Sia. She is a mum to a lively little girl and partner to a busy architect, and has a large, complex and very close family. Sia loves the outdoors. She runs Wellington’s trails with Nelson her dalmatian and often visits the wild coastline.

Peter Galvin

Peter Galvin | DOC

Peter Galvin is our Deputy Director-General Policy. He leads a group that develops the frameworks and outcomes for the conservation system, oversees DOC’s international engagement, and supports the organisation through legal advice and support, Treaty negotiations and land management.

Peter is an experienced public servant. He has primarily worked in the Crown-Māori relationships space with time at Te Puni Kōkiri, the Office of Treaty Settlements, the Ministry of Social Development and Oranga Tamariki. He was part of the senior leadership teams at the Ministries of Justice and Social Development, and was the co-owner of a small consultancy specialising in what was then known as Māori Affairs. He has held senior management roles in policy, social service funding, and Treaty settlement negotiations.

Peter enjoys leading people and growing high performing and highly engaged groups. He is a natural collaborator whose professional purpose is to make the most of the diverse skills and experience that multiple people bring to achieving shared ambitions. He’s particularly interested in how to align the shared interests of the Crown (in its many and glorious forms) and whānau, hapū and iwi.

Peter grew up in Wellington and says he’s inspired by the changes he’s seen over his lifetime in the landscape, birdlife and marine reserve he gets out and visits. He sees this as a physical reminder of what government, iwi, community, the private sector and inspired individuals can achieve when they work together. He is a regular dog-walker, irregular tramper and his (most) happy place is his annual pilgrimage to his favourite camping spot in the Bay of Plenty.

Peter is married and a father to three mostly grown-up children. He enjoys being in the garden, reading and socialising with friends, and is a new-found friend of Owhiro Stream (which you can be too!).

Stephanie Rowe

Stephanie Rowe | DOC

Stephanie Rowe is our Deputy Director-General Biodiversity, Heritage and Visitors.

Stephanie grew up dreaming of working in conservation. Her time as a scientist at DOC remains one of the formative and exciting parts of her career. Since then, Stephanie has held senior leadership roles at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the Ministry of Primary Industries. She has gained experience leading across strategy, policy, research, intelligence and operations.  

Stephanie is excited to have returned home to DOC. The Biodiversity, Heritage and Visitors group is the centre of DOC’s technical and scientific expertise. They set the direction for our conservation work and look at how we can achieve our goals. The group leads the implementation of Te Mana o Te Taiao (the Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy) and the Visitor and Heritage Strategy.

Stephanie’s passions are people and system leadership. She enjoys complex challenges, where it takes a diversity of views and approaches to achieve great things.

In her spare time she loves visiting the Marlborough Sounds with her family, walking her dogs in the bush and hills around Wellington, and exploring all that Aotearoa has to offer, from mountains to sea.

Sheridan Smith

(Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu)

Sheridan Smith | DOC

Sheridan Smith is our Deputy Director-General Treaty Relationships. She leads the function responsible for Treaty strategy, relationships and Treaty system performance and oversight. Treaty relationships are critical to strengthening conservation and nature outcomes for mokopuna and future generations.

Sheridan joined DOC in August 2025 from the Ministry of Justice, where she was Deputy Secretary, Strategy. She brings a wealth of experience in Crown–Māori relationships and public sector leadership, having previously held senior roles at Te Arawhiti as Deputy Chief Executive Partnerships, the Public Service Commission, and the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority. She has developed a deep understanding of how system performance and strategic leadership can drive meaningful change. Sheridan is known for her strong delivery, strategic insight, and commitment to making a difference.

Outside of work, Sheridan happily contributes to community development and kaupapa Māori work, and is the proud mama to three tamariki and partner to an engineer. She loves keeping active, sharing great kai with others – and enjoying excellent red wine.

Sheridan loves being part of the DOC team and the challenge of enhancing our precious cultural and natural heritage – our taonga tuku iho.

Mike Tully

Mike Tully | Credit: Lance Lawson

Mike Tully is our Deputy Director-General Organisation Support. This group is responsible for ensuring DOC is resourced, financially secure, technologically enabled and safe.

Mike comes from a background of banking and insurance. He was previously the Chief Operating Officer at ACC. He is a passionate people leader and thrives on a good challenge. Collaboration and relationships are important to him and his work.

Mike believes that our whenua, fauna and biodiversity are truly unique and being a part of their conservation for future generations is a great reason to work for DOC.

When not learning about conservation, Mike can be found fly fishing or cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Mike likes to entertain and is enjoying the revival of vinyl music.

Henry Weston

Henry Weston | Credit: Lance Lawson

Henry Weston is our Deputy Director-General Regional Operations. He leads around one third of our people. 

Henry has a long career in conservation. He started working at Te Uru Rākau – the New Zealand Forestry Service as a teenager in his summer holidays. He became the Bay of Plenty/East Coast Conservator for DOC in the 2000s and took on a variety of treaty relations roles. He has experienced local government as the Chief Operating Officer for the Rotorua Lakes District Council. He also has senior leadership experience as Acting Deputy Director-General for Te Uru Rākau.

Henry returned to DOC in August 2022 and he now heads up our biggest business group that delivers conservation on the ground. 

Henry instinctively connects to people and puts them first – he asks good questions, is naturally curious and listens to understand. 

He is a dad to three mostly grown-up children. On weekends, Henry enjoys spending time with his partner, a good coffee and walks in Rotorua’s redwood forest. His favourite natural places to spend time in and recharge his batteries are Whirinaki Forest and around Rotorua’s lakes.