BIO
I am a New Zealand researcher, writer and communicator and good science advocate. My focus is starting and contributing to conversations about policy that works to deliver wellbeing to all. My work is predicated on three things: making values transparent, delivering equity, and understanding best evidence. My work spans the breadth of the social, economic and political spectrum. I gained a PhD in Health Psychology from Victoria University in 2003 and have spent the last 14 years applying science and evidence to public policy. In recent years, I have circled back to my psychology roots, focussing on research showing storytelling and narratives that "go with the grain of cognition" better connect people with what is true, what works, and what to do in public policy.
Most recently I wrote Pennies from Heaven, investigating the most effective policy actions for moving families and children out of poverty. I am co-director, of the think and do tank The Workshop, and a senior research associate at the Public Policy Institute at University of Auckland and IGPS at Victoria University.
ARTEFACT
My interactive is the thing I am most pleased with, you can either link to the pick a path here https://pickapath.actionstation.org.nz
or you can link to the article explaining the pick a path with a link to it here https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/16-08-2017/are-there-any-good-choices-when-you-live-on-a-low-income/