Charities Registration Board/Te Rātā Atawhai

Te Rātā Atawhai, the Charities Registration Board, is an independent three-person body which makes decisions about registering or deregistering charities.

In practice, most decisions are made by Charities Services acting under formal delegation and guidance from the Board. However, the Board always deals with more complex or novel cases and those where organisations disagree with Charities Services’ decisions. 

Gwendoline Keel (Chair)

Gwen is an experienced commercial lawyer and not-for-profit governance and management specialist. After a long career in private practice, she is presently General Counsel within the post-settlement governance entity for the Waikato iwi, commonly known as Waikato-Tainui. The Waikato iwi comprises more than 76,000 registered members connected to 33 hapuu and represented by 68 marae. Throughout her career Gwen has acquired significant experience in the charitable and not-for-profit sector, acting for many "household name" charities and national sporting codes, and having been consistently involved in the charitable sector as a director, committee member, and volunteer. Gwen has a particular interest in the economic development of kaupapa Maaori charities, information governance, and charitable law reform. Gwen is a member of the Institute of Directors. She was appointed to the Board in December 2019 for a three-year period, and appointed to chair the Board in September 2021.

Bev Gatenby 

Dr Bev Gatenby currently works as a consultant, a facilitator and a coach, largely in the community and government sectors.  She has worked with many charities, often  assisting with their governance, strategy and service development.  She also coaches managers and chairs in the philanthropic and community sectors and local government.  Bev was the Chief Executive of Trust Waikato between 2006 and 2016, and has held a range of local, regional and national governance roles. Bev was originally appointed to the Board in July 2018, and was re-appointed for a further three-year term in September 2021.

Loretta Lovell

Nau mai haere mai

Ko Takitimu te waka

Ko Mohaka te awa

Ko Taihoa te marae

He tamahine ahau o nga iwi o Rongomaiwahine, Ngati Pahauwera, Ngati Kahungunu me Whakatohea

Ko Loretta Lovell toku ingoa

Loretta is a Lawyer, Independent Environmental Commissioner and Professional Director. For over 20 years she has specialised in commercial, energy and resource management law. She has advised and also sat on the boards of several Iwi Māori and community organisations, helping them meet their social and economic aspirations. She holds governance positions on Crown entities and is a member of a number of advisory panels to public sector agencies. Loretta was appointed to the Board in September 2021 for a three-year period.

To view the decisions made by the Charities Registration Board, see our legal decisions page.