Tū Ātea Network Services (Broadtech) appoints Jo Stansfield as Chief Executive

Leading Aotearoa telecommunications executive to guide the 100% Māori-owned infrastructure group through its next phase of growth.

Tū Ātea Network Services (TANS) has appointed renowned telecommunications executive Jo Stansfield as its new Chief Executive, commencing in November 2026.

Jo succeeds Merv Taylor, who will move into a Strategic Advisor role, supporting the leadership transition and the business beyond November.

Jo joins TANS from Fortysouth, Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest independent mobile tower company, where she played a central role in establishing and scaling the business as Chief Operating Officer.

Her appointment follows a rigorous national and international search. She will lead Broadtech, JDA and Transworks - a 100% Māori-owned group whose people and technology support some of the country’s most critical telecommunications, broadcast, media, health and industrial electrical infrastructure.

Jo’s mandate will be to lead the group’s evolution from project-based delivery to long-term infrastructure partnership - combining the expertise of its kaimahi and more than five decades of engineering knowledge with modern data, automation and AI-enabled tools.

The ambition is to partner with customers across the full life of their infrastructure: designing intelligently, building on a proud legacy and managing assets for generations.

Mike Jenkins, Chair of Tū Ātea Network Services, said the appointment recognised both the capability within the group and the scale of its future ambition.

“Behind every transmission tower, broadcast studio and hospital network our group supports stands one of our kaimahi. The Board’s first responsibility was to appoint a leader worthy of their talent, their trust and the legacy they carry.

“In Jo, we have found a world-class operator, one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most highly regarded telecommunications leaders, and a purpose- and values-led wahine toa.

“This appointment also carries Merv Taylor’s support. His confidence in Jo matches the Board’s own - and there can be no stronger endorsement than that of the leader handing over the reins.”

Jo Stansfield said Tū Ātea Network Services represented a rare opportunity to build on a strong foundation of Māori ownership, engineering heritage and technical capability.

“Tū Ātea Network Services has real heritage, real capability and real ambition. It is a 100% Māori-owned business with the opportunity to become one of Aotearoa’s most trusted strategic infrastructure partners.

“My role will begin with what has always been the group’s greatest asset: its people. We will build on their judgement, experience and more than five decades of hard-won engineering knowledge, while equipping them with the best modern data, automation and AI-enabled tools.

I am deeply honoured to be entrusted with this role, and I cannot wait to get started.”

Outgoing Chief Executive Merv Taylor said Jo was the right leader to guide the business through its next phase.

“I have had the privilege of leading this business through acquisition, integration and the transition of a proud 50-year legacy into full Māori ownership. That experience has given me a clear understanding of what its next chapter requires.

“Jo is unequivocally the right person to lead Tū Ātea Network Services forward. She has my full support as Strategic Advisor as she takes up the role.

There will be no change to day-to-day delivery, teams or commitments for the group’s customers and partners. Merv Taylor will continue to lead Tū Ātea Network Services until Jo commences in November.

– ends –

Media contact:
Jess Paul
0226509262 | Jessica.paul@tuatea.nz

Interviews with Jo Stansfield and Mike Jenkins are available from the week commencing 3 August 2026.