ZEAL - Our Team

Simon Buxton

Managing Director

Simon is the Managing Director at ZEAL. He is a strategic, outcome-based planner, independent director and governance expert with 25 years’ leadership and practical experience in good governance and delivering transport projects, leading teams, innovating, improving customer satisfaction, raising revenue, operational readiness, applying political savviness, developing policy and inspiring people. He has global public and private sector experience; primarily in NZ & the UK with exposure to Asia & Latin America. Simon has significant experience in the operation of an organisation, leading projects, and being part of an ELT. He is a champion of developing people & a good steward of teams, leading them to be highly engaged, execute & deliver.  Simon has a strong focus on governance, transport, planning, finance, customer experience, event delivery and innovation. He is highly adaptable, with an outcome-based planning approach and has an ability to integrate and engage in complex environs. Simon is a believer in the application of Wayfinding Leadership; remaining open to potential and, guiding people to develop and achieve.  Simon has multiple qualifications and significant experience from leadership roles in Transport for London & Auckland Transport and from his Zeal roles he has overseen the successful progress of packages for Waitematā Harbour Connections, Auckland Light Rail, Te Tupu Ngātahi & the New Zealand Upgrade Programme.

IDRIS Jones

Director

Idris is a Multi-Disciplinary Planner and Director of ZEAL with 8+ years experience across the public and private sector; developing a career as a city shaping practitioner focused on governance, visualisation, legacy, outcomes and delivery.  
Idris has particular experience in helping to deliver pan-agency workstreams, business cases, transport plans and on-the ground infrastructure deliverables. Idris is a troubleshooter who is strategic and forward thinking with an appetite to challenge business-as-usual practices when appropriate.  He has an ability to translate multiple stakeholder views into cohesive summaries or infographics.  
He is reliable and personable, aspiring to a high-level of performance; complimented by clients.  Idris’ most recent experience includes Auckland's Regional Land Transport Plan, Waitematā Harbour Connections, Te Tupu Ngātahi, and the New Zealand Upgrade Programme. 

Dan Marsh

Consultant

Dan has spent 18+ years in technical and governance leadership roles in the public and private sectors in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. With a strong focus on transport network planning, operations and maintenance, his experience spans the lifecycle of transport infrastructure providing insight into many of the challenges and opportunities facing growing cities.
Aside from his technical capability, Dan has a proven track record of delivery across multi-disciplinary and $multimillion projects and programmes. Having been part of large Alliances across Australia and New Zealand in technical, leadership and PMO roles, he brings strong collaborative and relationship building skills to his work, as well as a focused approached on outcomes and value for money for clients.
Dan has a passion for elevating and developing those under his leadership, creating an environment of support, innovation and possibility. He leads by example and strives to cultivate those around him providing a legacy for the future. Dan’s other strengths are his ownership of commitments, prioritising and focusing on what is important and delivering to outcomes and stretch objectives.

ANDREW MORRIS

Consultant

Andrew has spent 8+ years in roles for infrastructure and financial markets industries in New Zealand. Andrew has coordinated and managed large, complex infrastructure projects for New Zealand, such as Waitematā Harbour Connections and the NZUP Programme, as well as provided support to Auckland Transport's Investment Committee. 

His roles have included governance support, programme management, procurement, Alliance establishment and management, risk management, interfacing with Treasury, business case writing and market engagement. His experience spans a variety of roles to public sector clients, including Waka Kotahi, Auckland Transport, as well as private clients. 

Earlier in his career, Andrew also managed the Investor Services arm of an innovative fintech business, as well as developed and implemented financial compliance programs. He has delivered multi-million dollar capital raises to early-stage NZ businesses – from writing business cases, executing capital raises, building relationships with investors, as well as establishing a spinoff software services arm as a Director of Operations.

MITCH ROBINSON

Consultant

Mitch has spent 9+ years as an engineering consultant primarily in the energy and water sectors. He has gained experience with both public and private sector clients throughout New Zealand, Australia and South East Asia. Key projects include the early-stage concept design and economic analysis for the Malabar Biomethane Injection project (the first of it’s kind in Australia) and detailed design of the St Marys Thermal Hydrolysis Plant (second in Australia).  Mitch has also been involved in Business Case work.

Mitch has worked throughout the engineering project lifetime from early-stage front and concept design studies, economic and commercial analysis, through to detailed design, procurement and commissioning support, and operation. He has experience working in both large scale and small teams, with experience managing large multidiscipline and remote teams. He combines a keen technical understanding with a range of soft skills to ensure his teams perform to their highest level.

Danielle Goodall

Consultant

Danielle has spent spent 5+ years advising across the transport, infrastructure, and urban planning sectors, both in New Zealand and internationally. She has a strong foundation in strategy, data modelling, analytics, and visualisation, with key examples being Economic Assessments for Otago Regional Council's Natural Hazards Adaptation Strategy, and Decision-Making tools for Vanuatu tourism. Other key projects include the City Rail Link and Eastern Busway, by supporting with updating and monitoring of customer and PT data and insights. Danielle has also been involved in several Business Cases. 

She brings a rare balance of big-picture thinking and detailed technical capability, enabling her to deliver clear, robust insights. A natural problem solver, Danielle is known for her collaborative approach across multiple disciplines and genuine engagement with colleagues, clients and partners. Her reliability, professionalism, and ability to build strong working relationships quickly have made her a trusted advisor across multiple sectors.

Louise Nicholson

Bursary Steward

Louise is a corporate communications specialist, with experience working for government, business, the media and agencies.  She has held senior roles in New Zealand, Australia and Asia.  Most recently, she was part of the leadership team of New Zealand's Financial Markets Authority and prior to that was a partner in one of the Asia Pacific's most successful public affairs agencies.  

Louise's specialty is issues and reputation management, with a particular focus on financial communications and the rights of investors. Louise is a Steward for our Bursary scheme, helping to assess the applications, mentor awardees and ensure ZEAL's ESG outcomes are adhered to.  