Our Approach
In a time of political polarisation and partisan point-scoring, we seek to engage with a range of viewpoints, assessing them on their merits rather than their political colouring. IDEA aims to create spaces where differing views can be debated robustly but respectfully, bringing out their strengths and weaknesses. We value openness, intellectual curiosity, rigorous evidence and critical enquiry.
Our Team
IDEA is run by three committed New Zealanders who bring skills vital to a successful think-tank: Paul Goldsmith (logistics), Max Rashbrooke (research and policy), and Charlie Bleakley (communications). The IDEA Advisory Board – comprising Penny Hulse, Dr Adam Barker, Lisa-Marie Richan, Dr Rebecca Kiddle and Brook Turner – provides guidance and a diversity of viewpoints.
Our Mission
Our work addresses a damaging dynamic in New Zealand life: the intertwining of economic and political exclusion. Working alongside communities, we develop bold, evidence-based solutions, and find compelling ways to share them with policy-makers and the general public. We seek to help New Zealand move from poverty to prosperity, and from exclusion to empowerment.
Founding Trustees
Max Rashbrooke
Research
Max is a Wellington-based writer and researcher with twin interests in economic inequality and democratic renewal. He has authored and edited several books, including Government for the Public Good, Too Much Money, and Inequality: A New Zealand Crisis. A recipient of various awards including the 2020 J. D. Stout Fellowship, he is also a senior associate of the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. His work appears in outlets such as the Guardian and Prospect magazine, and he is a regular commentator in the New Zealand media.
Paul Goldsmith
Operations
With a B-Com in Marketing and Finance, Paul brings 20 years’ experience in commercial roles for organisations such as British Telecom, P&O London, DB Group, The Warehouse and World Vision. He lives with his wife Katherine and their three teenage sons, and in addition to growing feijoas commercially, Paul works for QEII National Trust to protect high biodiversity environments. Paul has a passion for effective and efficient organisation, building strong communities, and tackling the structures that determine the spread of privilege and deprivation.
Charlie Bleakley
Communications
Charlie is a filmmaker and media producer with over 15 years’ commercial and creative experience. His 2008 documentary Homelessness in Focus led to fundamental policy change in New Zealand, and his comedy/mental health podcast Eating Fried Chicken in the Shower won silver in the 2022 New Zealand Podcast Awards, as well as being a finalist in the 2020 Voyager New Zealand Media Awards. He is now the Video Lead for Who Gives A Crap, an Australian values-led consumer product company. Charlie has a passion for understanding his target audience and meeting them where they are, given their view of the world.
Advisory Board
Penny Hulse
(MNZM)
Brook Turner has worked for more than 25 years in the not-for-profit sector, where he’s led the design and delivery of a range of social change initiatives. He was the founding CEO for creative youth charity Zeal before joining the leadership team at Visionwest, a social service agency, where he works to address homelessness, reduce poverty, and build a more food-secure Aotearoa. Brook is a Kiwibank Local Hero recipient, and an alumni member of Leadership New Zealand. He is from Palmerston North and now lives in Waitakere, West Auckland.
Dr Adam Barker
Adam is the founder and director of Scarlatti, a research and evaluation firm that works with government agencies, industry bodies and training organisations. Involving both quantitative and qualitative research, Adam’s work centres on measuring the effectiveness of public-good investments such as environmental management and vocational education and training. Adam was previously the chief operating officer of Celentis, the commercial arm of crown research institute AgResearch, and a consultant with McKinsey. Adam also served for eight years as a board member and chair of UpsideDowns, a charity for children with Down Syndrome.
Lisa-Marie Richan
Rebecca has a background in urban design and urbanism. She has held roles as the head of urban development at Hutt City Council and senior lecturer in architecture design at Victoria University of Wellington’s School of Architecture. She is currently the director of Te Manawahoukura Rangahau Institute at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, and an honorary lecturer in the School of Environmental Planning at the University of Waikato. Rebecca holds a BA in politics, an honours degree in Māori and women’s studies, and an MA and PhD in urban design.
Dr Rebecca Kiddle
(Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi)
A former Director of Communications and Head of Profession at the State Services Commission, Lisa-Marie is a two-time winner of the ‘Government Relations and Public Affairs’ campaign category, based on her work advocating for sufferers of hearing loss and for regional air traffic services. A partner at Convergence PR, she has worked in and around government in multiple roles, including as Director of Strategic Relations at New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, serving on the government’s Cultural Diplomacy International Board, and as Head of Public Affairs for several government agencies.
Brook Turner
As a former politician, Penny served for 27 years as both a councillor and deputy mayor for Waitakere City Council and the amalgamated Auckland Council. She has been a board member on a wide range of boards and is currently a member of the Auckland Museum Board and the board of Aktive (a regional sports body). She has had the Penny Hulse Supreme Environmental award named in her honour, is the patron of Community Waitakere, has served as chair of Waitakere Anti Violence Essential Services and has been involved with many other community-based organisations.