Our people

We are a specialist research team of economists and social psychologists. Our principals develop and lead research programmes that answer hard policy questions relating to economic and social outcomes. They have:

A proven track record leading large-scale policy research programmes in a government environment and peer reviewed publications
Strong technical quantitative skills, including proven experience in applying econometric and psychometric techniques to new issues
Open-mindedness and creativity, embracing a broad range of perspectives and research approaches
Strong communication skills including excellent writing and an ability to communicate the results of quantitative research to a non-technical audience
Extensive networks of contacts with leading researchers within New Zealand and internationally
Familiarity with cabinet processes and experience working directly with Ministers and other senior stakeholders.

Principals

Bev Hong

Bev is a social psychologist with a background in research, measurement and statistics. Her interests span measurement and understanding of contributors to child and family wellbeing, the role of culture (in its broadest sense), national identity and sense of belonging, and the bridging of knowledge from different world views.

Bev’s most recent work includes leading the dual stranded (traditional western) Families and (Te Ao Maori-based) Whanau Wellbeing Research Programme (2014-2017, Superu). She also led the research programme while at the Ministry for Culture and Heritage with a focus on cultural indicators and measuring the value of culture (2012-2014).

She has worked in a broad range of social sector portfolios including Justice, Social Development, Education, Immigration, and Culture and Heritage and at both managerial and principal levels. Her roles have often included facilitating workshops and consultation to identify information needs and how those needs can best be met through research.

bev.hong@kotatainsight.co.nz
027 232 3615

Conal Smith

Conal is a Wellington-based economist with interests spanning the economics of well-being, valuing intangible costs and benefits, social capital and trust, the behavioural drivers of economic outcomes, and social policy more generally.

He led the development of the first international guidelines on the measurement of subjective wellbeing (2013) and trust (2017) as well as the OECD's first well-being themed country report. Conal has worked on the policy applications of well-being measures in New Zealand, the OECD, and the developing world. In 2014 he co-taught the first formal course in wellbeing economics at Sciences Po in Paris.

Conal has worked as a senior economist at the OECD and in managerial and senior policy roles in a range of different New Zealand government agencies.

conal.smith@kotatainsight.co.nz
022 414 6235

Luisa Beltran-Castillon

Luisa is a quantitative researcher with a strong interest in child wellbeing and in supporting better social outcomes for the most vulnerable. With strong programming and technical skills, her focus is in making sense of the behavioural and social patterns underneath the numbers, and in the clear communication of analysis for easy use in policymaking.

Luisa has extensive experience in New Zealand public service having worked as a manager and principal researcher at several agencies, including the Ministry of Education, Statistics New Zealand, and the Ministry of Social Development. Her work has covered a range of policy areas including; housing, student achievement, early childhood education, family violence, child protection, early intervention, disability, injury prevention and criminal justice.

Luisa holds a BSc (Hons) in Computing, Operational Research and Statistics, and developed her modelling and analytical expertise in the financial and management consultancy sectors in the UK. Luisa has a collaborative working style and enjoys working alongside others in a collegial or mentoring relationship.

luisa.beltran-castillon@kotatainsight.co.nz
021 030 8588

Associate PrincipalS

Atawhai Tibble

Of Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau a Apanui, Tuwharetoa, Whanganui, and Raukawa ki te Tonga descent, Atawhai is Wellington-based strategic policy advisor, with interests spanning the economics of Māori well-being, the valuation of Māori language and culture, the measurement of cultural capital, the behavioural drivers of Māori outcomes, and Māori economic and social policy more generally.

Atawhai is both fluent in te reo Māori and has expertise in tikanga Māori. He led the development of the first ever survey of indigenous wellbeing undertaken by a national statistics agency – Te Kupenga. He then led the Māori Living Standards Framework project at the NZ Treasury. Atawhai currently works 3 days a week at the Social Investment Agency as the Chief Māori Advisor. The other two days a week he devotes to Māori research and policy projects.

A trained lawyer, Atawhai has extensive experience in the public service and has worked as a Manager and a Senior Advisor at a range of agencies including Te Taura Whiri I te Reo, Te Puni Kōkiri, and the Ministry of Education. He has also has experience in the Beehive where he was an advisor to the the Minister’s of Education and Māori Affairs.

Keith Mcleod

Keith has a background in statistics, and has led and undertaken analytical projects across the NZ public sector. He has extensive experience working with integrated administrative and survey data in Stats NZ's IDI, and is an experienced SAS and R programmer. His research interests include population change, immigration, the social support system, health and disability issues, and measuring service effectiveness.

Keith has worked for more than 20 years across a number of government agencies, including The Treasury, the Ministries of Social Development, and Business, Innovation and Employment, and Statistics NZ. He holds an Honours degree in statistics from the University of Canterbury, and has published research papers across a wide range of topics.

Margreet Frieling

Margreet is a sociologist with a strong background in measurement and statistics. Her work over the last ten years has focused on the conceptualisation and measurement of wellbeing within a public policy setting. Key areas of focus have included social capital and social connectedness, Māori wellbeing, subjective wellbeing, civic and cultural engagement, health, and housing outcomes.

Margreet has worked as a senior analyst at both Stats NZ and the Treasury. Within these roles, Margreet has developed conceptual frameworks for a wide range of wellbeing constructs and researched best practice approaches for measurement, as well as undertaken research projects.

Early career research associates

Caitlin Davies

Caitlin is a PhD candidate at the University of Auckland (2016-est.2020) studying economic and financial stability within New Zealand. She has an interest in the econometric and analytic modelling of wellbeing, policy, and macro-financial topics. As an early-career economist, she has interned with Housing New Zealand (2015-2018) and New Zealand Treasury (2018) to produce outputs on subjective wellbeing and macro-prudential policy. She is also an experienced Graduate Teaching Assistant with the University of Auckland, and has an ongoing Policy Support role with the Treasury.

Caitlin is working with Kōtātā Insight on valuing wellbeing outcomes for cost-benefit analysis with a particular focus on housing outcomes. The project applies a cost-wellbeing methodology to data from the New Zealand General Social Survey to estimate the compensating surplus associated with a range of different non-market outcomes and runs until March 2020. A discussion paper will be published presenting a robust set of wellbeing values for social and economic outcomes in New Zealand, with a particular focus on values applying to the social housing client group.

Design by Scott Gordon Design and Acumen