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Peter Mersi

Commissioner and Chief Executive of Inland Revenue

Photo of Commissioner Peter Mersi

Peter Mersi was appointed Commissioner and Chief Executive of Inland Revenue in July 2022.

Prior to this, Peter was the Secretary and Chief Executive for Transport (2016-2022), Chief Executive of Land Information New Zealand (2012-2016) and spent six months as the Acting Secretary and Chief Executive of the Department of Internal Affairs (2011-2012).

Peter has held senior leadership roles in Inland Revenue and the Treasury, where he spent 14 years primarily working on social policy and the public management system. He has also worked for the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Department of Labour, the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Bank of New Zealand.

Peter has an economics degree from Victoria University of Wellington.

Along with Gaye Searancke, the Chief Executive of Land Information New Zealand, Peter is the Co-Chair of Papa Pounamu, an initiative by Public Sector Chief Executives to support and grow diversity and inclusion in the public sector.

David Shanks

Acting Deputy Commissioner, Enterprise and Integrity Services

Photo of David Shanks

David has extensive experience in both public and private sector leadership. 

As an Executive Director at the RDC Group consultancy he has worked with a wide range of government and private sector agencies to review capabilities and drive change. Prior to this David was Chief Censor and led the Classification Office (2017-22).

David has spent much of his career leading the delivery of corporate services for government agencies. He previously acted as Deputy Chief Executive (corporate) for the Ministry of Social Development and led the legal and Human Resource functions. He has been the Director of Health, Safety and Security at the Ministry of Education and the Chief Legal Advisor at the (then) State Services Commission. He started his NZ public service career with Inland Revenue in the late 1990’s, working within and then leading the Corporate Legal team until 2005.

David has qualifications in Law from Otago (LLB) and Victoria (LLM).

NOTE: Mary Craig, Deputy Commissioner, Enterprise & Integrity Services is currently on secondment as Acting Government Statistician and Chief Executive at Statistics NZ Tatauranga Aotearoa.

David Carrigan

Deputy Commissioner, Policy

photo of David Carrigan Deputy Commissioner of Policy and strategy

David has held a number of positions within the tax policy function of Inland Revenue since joining the department in 1996.  He has an extensive knowledge of tax policy and a deep understanding of the frameworks that underpin tax systems. David has led a number of reforms, most recently leading the policy work to support Inland Revenue’s Business Transformation.

With a background in law and languages, David holds a BA and LLB degrees from Auckland University.

Lisa Barrett

Deputy Commissioner, Customer and Compliance Services - Business

Photo of Lisa Barrett, Deputy Commissioner of Customer Compliance Services - Business

Lisa Barrett joined Inland Revenue in July 2023.

Prior to this, Lisa was Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Secretary Strategy, Performance and Engagement, Corporate and Shared Services at The Treasury Te Tai Ōhanga. 

Lisa is passionate about the public service and serving the people and businesses of Aotearoa New Zealand. She has held a broad range of senior public sector leadership roles, including at Land Information New Zealand, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and the Ministry of Economic Development.

As Deputy Commissioner, Customer and Compliance Services – Business, Lisa works to ensure businesses are supported to pay their tax at the right time. Her group also provides advice around complex and global tax issues.

Lisa lives in Wellington and holds a Bachelor of Laws from Victoria University of Wellington.

James Grayson

Deputy Commissioner, Customer and Compliance Services – Individuals

A portrait of James Grayson wearing a business shirt smiling against a plain office wall.

James has been with Inland Revenue for almost 20 years and has worked in a variety of roles, including leading large operational groups and making a significant contribution to Business Transformation.

Prior to Inland Revenue’s transformation, James was involved in a number of significant social policy reform programmes including child support and Working for Families. He has strong experience in delivering and managing large and complex change activities and with turning strategy to action within business groups.

Before joining Inland Revenue, he worked in a number of small businesses as an operational manager.

Michelle Redington

Chief Tax Counsel

Michelle Redington joined Inland Revenue as the Chief Tax Counsel in March 2021. 

Michelle has more than 20 years professional taxation experience, including a range of senior leadership roles, primarily in the private sector.

Before joining Inland Revenue, Michelle held a number of positions at Air New Zealand, including General Manager, Group Shared Services and Taxation. Michelle was a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers New Zealand and co-leader of its international taxation team.

She has been a member of the Tax Advisory Group of the Chartered Accountants of Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) and was also a member of the Government’s 2018 Tax Working Group.

Michelle has a Master of Laws (LLM) in international taxation and is a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand.

Last updated: 01 May 2025
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