Projects.
Past Projects
My work spans journalism, academia, public speaking, research and publishing. Projects of which I am especially proud include the following:
Editing 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
Co-creating visualisations like the Inequality Calculator (with Keith Ng) and The Wealth-Inequality Tower (with Toby Morris) as innovative ways to communicate the realities of economic inequality to tens of thousands of people
Carrying out original, data-driven research into wealth inequality that has expanded our understanding of the sharp divisions in the distribution of assets
Helping those living in poverty articulate their stories, rendering their situation more visible to the public and policymakers
Delivering a TEDx talk on upgrading democracy that has had over 1.4 million views on the TED.com website, sparking interest in ways to deepen democratic participation across the globe
Continuing 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
Inequality: A New Zealand Crisis
A timely and useful read, a book with heart designed to engage the mind. – Jolisa Gracewood
The divide between New Zealand’s poorest and wealthiest inhabitants has widened alarmingly over recent decades. Inequality: A New Zealand Crisis charts this troubling phenomenon, explores the damage it creates, and suggests how it could be solved.
Wealth and New Zealand
It’s about economics yet is understandable and readable: a rare combination. – Gordon Findlay, Booksellers New Zealand
Who owns what is one of the most crucial questions any society faces. New Zealand has long prided itself on being an egalitarian nation. But the disturbing reality, as charted in this book, is that the distribution of wealth in this country is extremely unequal.
The Inequality Debate: An Introduction
Both fascinating and horrifying. – David Williams, Salient
The divide between New Zealand’s poorest and wealthiest inhabitants has widened alarmingly over recent years, faster than in most other developed countries. This book is a succinct introduction to these changes in our society.