What I have done

Some achievements include: As Director of Innovation in the Ministry of Social Development I set up the first Advanced Analytics team in 2009 and founded the “Investment Approach” in Work and Income. This was then lifted to a whole of state sector reform known as “Social Investment”, a reform to focus the state sector on outcomes. As part of this I lead New Zealand’s whole-of-government data sharing initiative resulting in all social sector data being joined together in a Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) to safely provide the ability to measure and track needs and outcomes. Since then I have focused more on solving the challenge of high trust data sharing. With this in mind founded the NZ Data Commons movement, where we developed an approach to safe high value data sharing. This has culminated in Toha, a data commons for sustainable farming. The advice I am currently providing for Social Investment 2.0 has a greater focus on getting the underlying trust model for information sharing right and better institutional design for reallocation of resources in the face of new insights.

A full list of previous work is included here.

  • Provide advice on institutional design, data sharing and outcomes measurement for National’s restart of Social Investment.

  • Provided support to the business owner who sought help to develop a strategy and work program then provide training and support to build and deploy an advanced analytics team to drive high value solutions for public housing. This included direct 1:1 mentoring to build leadership skills then rolling this out as a course across 30 other stakeholders.

  • Contracted to write a report and present on outcomes measurement, application of the investment approach and data sharing to the Commissioners

  • Supported the CE with independent advice in regards to their restructure and reset as the Social Investment Agency moved to the Social Wellbeing Agency

  • Have just recently finished four years of study into information theory and how to build safe high trust and high value data sharing and how to value information as a social and economic asset. Publication due soon! 2019-2023

  • Advisor to a program aiming to improve data sharing and a single transferable education record to support student transitions and planning. 2020-2022

  • Made the case that helped raise $30 million to invest in building a new platform and team to apply customer centred analytics to improve the performance if NZ’s tax system. 2016-2019

  • Award for exercising leadership to make a positive impact. (December 2017)

  • Providing independent member of board to support the primary sector in its long term planning to enable free flowing data exchange across the sector

  • Raised NZDFP, NGO and private sector funding to develop the Data Commons idea. Formed and lead a volunteer community of experts (Economists, Cryptographers, Social Workers etc) to workshop and develop the core principles underpinning a working data commons. (2015)

  • Supported the case for the CoRE and was appointed to advisory board of Te Pūnaha Matatini for two terms (2015-2021) New Zealand’s newly funded Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE). Professor Shaun Hendy (Director) assembled a diverse team of leading physicists, mathematicians, economists, ecologists, computer and social scientists from Auckland, Victoria, Canterbury and Massey Universities and Motu. Te Pūnaha Matatini lifts the capability of New Zealand to undertake world leading data science and apply this to projects of national interest to New Zealanders. Championed internship and funding from MSD for the CoRE, introduced CoRE to NZ Rugby Union, leading to several significant new programs. Including NZs response to covid modelling

  • Provided report for Chilean think tank on application of analytics, investment approach and data sharing. Provide informal advice and support to delegates from a number of agencies including DPMC in Canberra, agencies in Victoria and New South Wales. Mentored international Child Protection experts in the investment approach in Geneva (WHO) and for the American Humane Association’s Child Protection international decision science group (Colorado, Perth, Hong Kong).

    2010-2018

  • “Handing Back the Social Commons” advocated a peer-to-peer “collective impact” organization of the sector on the back of a safe, high trust social data commons that is owned by the sector. This Progressed the principles introduced by the NZDFF and integrates these with “social investment”. (2014)

  • Appointed to independent think tank, Chair by John Whitehead commissioned to consult publicly and develop recommendations how to build a safe and high trust data sharing eco-system within New Zealand to drive value for citizens, the economy and improve government services. The recommendations were all adopted within New Zealand and this work is being recognised internationally (UN Global Pulse) as a unique solution to this emerging challenge. (2013)

  • Recognised limitations of an “investment approach” applied only at an agency level. Pitched the idea of Whole of Government Analytics at the centre of government to drive structural shift in the way government investment is managed - building accountability and budget allocation around needs and outcomes on the basis of an independent (system level) understanding of pathways across services. Resulted in Analytics team funded at NZ Treasury and significant new funding to expand the role of the “Integrated Data Infrastructure” managed by Statistics New Zealand – providing remote access to a wider range of users (including non-public sector) who can now also look across the system. (2012

  • Provided the response to the Restock Review of the benefit system. Advising a customer needs centred approach to allocation of effort to maximise outcomes. Set up the first Advanced Analytics Team in MSD. Raised investment to upgrade from a Data Warehouse to Data Lake

  • Leadership Development Center (LDC) Fellowship Prize awarded funding an year sabatical to study leadership at Harvard Kennedy School, Wharton Business School and Centre for Creative Leadership

    Outstanding Achievement Award presented by Peter Hughes 2010

    Emerging leaders Program graduate, MSD (2009).

    2007 Mentoring with Sheena Gleisner, CE, Ministry of Women's Affairs.

    2007 Awarded Shining Star for contributions to child protection by Ray Smith.

  • Built the first advanced analytics team, Sharing data between education, corrections, CYF, the benefits system and health to track child protection outcomes for the first time. Used this customer centred view to develop new demand models, predictive analytics and developed the methods and information assets to deploy the Investment Approach (unfortunately this was not adopted by CYF but was later taken up by the Treasury and MSD for reform of the benefit system).

    2004-2011

  • Setting prices and negotiating direct purchasing of contracts for elective surgery. Trowbridge Report says we saved $14 million against a background of increasing health costs.

    1997-2004

  • Doctor Patient Ethics, Non-paying patients. Ethnicity Data Collection

    1995-1997

  • Philosophy of Mind, Biology, Ethics and Politics. BA in Psychology and Philosophy. Victoria University, Wellington