Julie is the mother of four and was a founding member of CPAG. Julie has worked for CPAG for many years in administration and communication roles. She has a Masters in Equality Studies from UCD (Dublin) and is passionate about how we treat all children, the role of unpaid work, and gender equality. For several years, Julie was CPAG's Trustee representative on Ngā Tāngata Microfinance Trust.

Principal Evaluation and Research Specialist.

Louise was formerly an Associate Professor in Sociology at the University of Auckland. Her academic research focused on welfare reform, Maori affairs policy and refugee policy and settlement and public support for social citizenship (the idea that we have rights to a basic level of economic and social security). She co-authored a contribution to Left Further Behind: How Policies Fail the Poorest Children in New Zealand (2011), Income Support in the Wake of Covid-19: Survey (2020) and Income Support in the Wake of Covid-19: Interviews (2021).

Her research now focuses on housing, in particular the impact of mixed tenure redevelopments on residents.

Toni Ashton (PhD) is an honorary Professor in Health Economics in the School of Population Health, University of Auckland. Her primary field of research and publication is in the organisation and funding of health systems. She is especially interested in strategies for improving the quality and efficiency of the NZ health system and in improving access to health services by the people who need those services most. Her involvement with CPAG was stimulated by a concern about the increasing inequality in NZ and the need to find evidence-based and politically acceptable strategies for reversing this trend.

Of Pākehā descent, Janet has a background in journalism, policy analysis and publishing. She has contributed to CPAG research on children & Covid policies, welfare support adequacy and the accommodation supplement

Professor O’Connor is an internationally recognised expert in applied theatre and drama education. His research focuses on applied theatre in marginalised and vulnerable communities. It has led to developing cutting-edge models of interdisciplinary praxis that explore the nexus of critical and creative pedagogies, aesthetics and social justice. He was the founding director of Everyday Theatre, a national theatre in education programme on preventing family violence and child abuse. His work in Christchurch schools following the series of earthquakes lead to UNESCO funded research and programme development and the development of the Teaspoon of Light Theatre Company. In 2012 he was named the Griffith University School of Education and Professional Studies Alumnus of the Year. Peter's most recent research includes multi and interdisciplinary studies on the creative pedagogies and the arts, the nature of embodied learning and the pedagogy of surprise. Peter supervises Doctoral and Masters students using arts based methodologies with a social justice focus. He is an experienced supervisor of the PhD with creative component.

Professor at Te Puna Akopai, the School of Education, at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. 

Dr Jenny Ritchie has been involved in the early childhood care and education sector since the 1970s as a childcare worker, kindergarten teacher, parent, teacher educator, education researcher, and grandparent. Her research and teaching focuses on supporting educators and others with regard to honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi, as well as social, cultural, and ecological justice in early childhood care and education.

Len Cook has been a Government Statistician in New Zealand, and a National Statistician of the United Kingdom.  He was born in Dunedin, but has mainly lived in Wellington. Len has been involved in a variety of public policy initiatives including Member of the Royal Commission on Social Policy and Past President of the Institute of Public Administration.

Len supports CPAG because he believes children are our most important social investment, and the fact that New Zealand’s mothers continue to deliver some 60,000 babies a year as they did during the post–war baby boom years gives us the richest possible foundation for the future of all New Zealanders.  All of those babies need a fair chance in health, housing and education as they grow.  This requires research, advocacy and engagement, and CPAG puts a spotlight on how children live and what it is associated with and results in, that lifts the accountability of all of us for this part of our society.  How we value the most important role of bringing  up children whoever does it is a reflection of the values and conscience of our society, and as we change as a society we need the sort of vigilance CPAG provides.  We should expect to be discomforted by any of our failures in this role of our society, especially where that is based on strong evidence.

A registered primary school teacher, Dr Vicki Carpenter has taught and/or held leadership positions in Porirua, Manurewa, Tekapo, Karetu, Moerewa, and the Hokianga. More recently, Vicki lectured at the University of Auckland in initial and postgraduate teacher education. With a strong interest in Freirean pedagogy, Vicki’s research centres on schooling in low SES (urban and rural) communities, teacher education, and sexual orientation issues in teacher education.  

Currently Vicki is a second term elected Board member and Deputy Chairperson of the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, and Chairperson of its Audit and Risk sub-committee. She is a monitor of Teacher Education programmes for the Education Council.

She recently co-edited Twelve thousand hours. Education and poverty in Aotearoa, New Zealand 2014, Dunmore), and has co-edited five other education texts. Vicki has published and co-published a wide range of articles and chapters. Social justice and issues surrounding equity are central themes in her research and writings.

Nick is a New Zealand trained paediatrician now based in Australia. His clinical and research activities span range of issues related to equity in child health, particularly childhood pneumonia and youth justice systems.