World Bank position for N.Z. man

Press, 25 January 1988, Page 5

World Bank position for N.Z. man

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington

The World Bank in Washington has asked a New Zealander, Mr Ken Piddington, the first Director-General of Conservation, to direct its environmental work.

Mr Piddington was head of the Commission for the Environment for six years before leading the team that set up the Department of Conservation.

Now the World Bank has offered him the newly created position of director of its environment department. The World Bank handles $24 billion of development finance annually. It funds projects which have a big impact on the global environment and on the living conditions of people in the Third World. As such, it is often criticised by environmental groups for inadequate environmental assessment of the impact of its projects.

There have been some well-publicised cases where World Bank development projects have been inappropriate —

such as the clearing of tropical rain forests in the Amazon Basin, and efforts to create cattle pasture from the African savannahs.

The president of the World Bank, Mr Barber Conable, has called for the vigorous application of environmental criteria in future activities. The World Bank has committed itself to the concept of sustainable development, and Mr Piddington will be Mr Conable’s personal adviser on environmental matters. Mr Piddington will take up his new post in early April.

He was born in Britain but came to New Zealand as a child. He graduated M.A. (Hons) from Auckland University in 1954 in modern languages and anthropology, and taught languages at secondary schools in New Zealand,

France, Scotland and Jamaica before joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1959.

Mr Piddington held a number of overseas and Treasury appointments, before being appointed head of the Ministry’s European division in 1968 and then being head of its economic division from 1969-72. He was deputy director of the South Pacific Bureau for Economic Co-operation in Suva from 1972-77, and then director of the New Zealand Planning Council from 197780.

Mr Piddington, aged 54, is married with three adult children.

The Minister of Conservation, Ms Clark, described his appointment as an honour for New Zealand to have its environment and conservation experience endorsed by the World Bank.