Past Projects
My work spans journalism, academia, public speaking, research and publishing. Projects of which I am especially proud include the following.
I edited Inequality: A New Zealand Crisis, a local bestseller (over 6,000 copies sold in all formats) that helped establish economic inequality as a key topic in public debate, reorienting politics (in some small way) in a more egalitarian direction.
Building on that work, I co-created visualisations like The Inequality Calculator (with Keith Ng) and The Wealth-Inequality Tower (with Toby Morris), both of them innovative ways to communicate the realities of economic inequality to tens of thousands of people.
Working with Statistics New Zealand, I carried out original, data-driven research into wealth inequality, raising awareness of the vast disparities in how assets are distributed – and, in consequence, the kinds of lives people can enjoy.
I have helped those living in poverty articulate their stories, rendering their situation more visible to the public and policymakers.
My TEDx talk on upgrading democracy has had over 1.4 million views on the TED.com site, sparking interest in ways to deepen democratic participation across the globe.
I continue to challenge the policies and structures that entrench intergenerational inequalities, through works such as Too Much Money (2021), which was critically praised and became a fixture on politicians’ summer reading lists.
Future Projects
I am currently focused on an investigation into the funding of political parties, carried out with Professor Lisa Marriott and supported by the Gama Foundation. In coming years I want, with the public’s support, to undertake the following projects.
Bridging political divides: In an increasingly polarised world, few forums encourage people to engage constructively with those holding different opinions. I would like to organise a series of live (and livestreamed) debates on key current issues, bringing together exciting speakers with differing opinions in an environment that encourages listening and reflection.
Choice stories: One major obstacle to action on poverty is the average person’s lack of understanding of the realities of disadvantage. Better storytelling, rather than more facts, is the best route to shifting public opinion. I want to work with videographers and web designers to create a multimedia project called Choice Stories, in which both rich and poor can talk about the choices they have (or haven’t) had in their lives, and how this can lead to either poverty or affluence. This would be an accessible and compelling ‘way in’ to the poverty debate for those currently not engaging with it.
Combating economic rule-bending: There are multiple avenues through which those with greater wealth and power can avoid following the rules that apply to the rest of us. Tax evasion costs New Zealand at least $1.2 billion a year, many multinationals pay virtually no tax here, and the widespread use of trusts enables the secrecy essential to money-laundering and related activities. I want to have the time and space to shine a light on activities so complex they defeat any superficial investigation, and then be in a position to recommend concrete solutions.