Our operation is built on decades of experience in business, mining and logistics.

Duncan Hardie

Chair

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Duncan grew up in Canterbury, with much of his early working life spent in Westland and Nelson prior to relocating with his family to Sydney in 1986.

On arrival in Australia, Duncan became involved in property development with Sydney-based Hardie Pacific Limited settling its first three industrial properties in 1987.

Hardie Pacific Limited later invited the New Zealand-based Goodman family to co-invest, forming Goodman Hardie Limited. The company listed on the ASX in 1995, with a $28M raising, then merged with Macquarie Industrial in 2000 to form Macquarie Goodman, a $1bn company, at which stage Duncan exited to once again explore private investment opportunities.

Duncan’s New Zealand companies held permits and freehold land over a significant portion of Westland’s Heavy Minerals Sand deposits, which today forms the bulk of WMS deposit.

Duncan has been the founder of numerous ventures, including Apollo Gas, listed on the ASX before being taken over by Queensland based Arrow Energy to be part of the Gladstone LNG Terminal; Waterford Coal, which discovered and mapped the large PNG Gulf coal field and other mineral exploration companies.

Hardie Pacific’s other current New Zealand assets include Weora Limited; a Co2 mineralisation and natural hydrogen exploration company focussed on the band of ultra mafic rocks that runs the full length of New Zealand, and Hard Earth Limited, a Westland based company searching for the monazite and zircon source from the region’s insitu rocks.

Richard Ash

Director

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Education: B Ec Memberships: CA

Richard Ash has more than 30 years of experience in funds management, finance and principal investment in Australia, Asia and the UK. Prior to forming AAP Capital to advise Family offices on investments, Mr Ash was a Managing Director, Head of Asset Finance for Developed Asia and a member of the Australian executive team for Nomura Australia. Richard is Chairman of Lakes Blue Energy (ASX). He has also worked at Westpac, Macquarie Bank and KPMG. Richard has a keen interest in decarbonisation and the associated structural change.

Hugh Grey

Director

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Hugh is Southland born and bred, shifting to Nelson with his family in the early 1960’s and commencing his career as an engineer in 1974. He spent several years working on expansion programs at some of the larger wood processing and pulp and paper facilities in the Central North Island before returning to Nelson and buying Brightwater Engineers in 1979.

Under Hugh’s direction and ownership, the Brightwater Group grew to employ upwards of 300 staff, with annual revenues of $100m plus. The Brightwater Group established its principle manufacturing facility on a 40,000 square meter (10 acre) site near Nelson with engineering offices in Auckland, Glenbrook, Greymouth, Melbourne, and Brisbane. The Brightwater Group subsidiary company, the Greymouth-based operation Gray Bros, is a stand-alone design and build engineering facility that has grown on the back of the coal, gold, and minerals sectors.

In October 2014, Hugh sold his interest in the Brightwater Group with the view of leaving the corporate world and focusing on significant individual opportunities with good friends and people with whom he has developed close relationships over the years, his focus and passion is in the minerals and mining industries.

John Judge

Director, WMS Group

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John’s professional journey began in 1974 at Ernst & Young, where he held various roles in New Zealand and London. Over the years, he advanced within the company, eventually becoming a Partner and Chief Executive of Ernst & Young New Zealand. Since 2007, John has been actively involved in governance positions across public, private, and community organizations while also providing strategic business consulting services.

John is an accomplished business leader with extensive experience in governance, strategic consulting, and financial management. He has held numerous prestigious board positions, demonstrating his expertise in driving successful outcomes for diverse organisations. John’s exceptional ability to navigate complex commercial issues, his sound understanding of strategy implementation, and his dedication to fostering a people-first but achievement-oriented environment makes him a highly sought-after professional. John currently sits as Chairman for the Auckland Arts Festival Trust, Biotelliga Limited and Hydraulink Group and well as a Director for various Companies.

John Judge has a proven track record of providing key strategic advice to boards and management. He possesses a comprehensive understanding of commercial issues, including strategy implementation, technology, human resources, and finance, gained from working in various industries. Throughout his career, John has effectively led merger, acquisition, and sales teams, and he is experienced in making critical governance and commercial decisions in complex situations, even with limited information.

Having worked with diverse teams with varying backgrounds and cultures, John is adept at fostering teamwork and inclusive management. He has successfully led cultural change initiatives and built high-functioning, interactive management teams. His commitment to people-first principles combined with a focus on achieving results has created a thriving and dynamic work environment.

Cameron McRae

Director

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Cameron has an extensive leadership background in the mining industry, holding roles as CEO on major mining projects and overseeing successful greenfield and brownfield construction on three continents. His expertise spans business transformations, improvement initiatives, and complex negotiations for M&A, government agreements, and key commercial transactions.

With 28 years of executive experience at Rio Tinto in five countries, Cameron served as CEO-President of the Oyu Tolgoi (OT) copper-gold business in Mongolia, CEO of Richards Bay Minerals in South Africa, Managing Director of Murowa Diamonds in Zimbabwe, and Project Director for the Hail Creek Coal Mine Expansion in Queensland, Australia.

In 1995, Cameron was part of the M&A team responsible for the merger of RTZ plc and CRA Limited, forming the dual-listed Rio Tinto. He played a pivotal role in establishing OT, a world-class megaproject in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert. Under his leadership, OT’s US$6 billion construction project was completed ahead of schedule and moved to full production under Cameron’s watch.

Since leaving Rio Tinto, Cameron has continued to lead and advise resource companies at various development stages. He is currently Chairman of Kincora Copper Limited (ASX and TSX listed) and an independent director of Erdene Resource Development Corp (TSX). Cameron also provides advisory services through DTP Partners.

Ray Mudgway

WMS Group Managing Director

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Ray is proud to be Westport born and bred. Ray was an officer and fighter pilot in the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) and Royal Air Force (RAF) before embarking on a business career in NZ. After sales and marketing roles in the NZ Post Group, Ray joined the Port of Wellington where he held three GM roles, the last role involving P&L responsibility for 75% of the entire group, 100% of the operation including pilotage, tug operations, engineering & maintenance, stevedoring and commercial in bulk (cement, forestry, stock feed), containers, cruise, and vehicles. He was a director and responsible GM of a subsidiary of the port that managed bulk and container railheads, 13 daily trains and trucking connections for major importers and exporters throughout central New Zealand.

Ray has an MBA from Warwick Business School (UK) and completed his dissertation in supply chain for the forestry sector in NZ. Ray has also owned several private businesses in motel development, residential development, and aviation.