How I can help
I work with government agencies, industry, and decision-makers - supporting them to design defensible policy, interpret behavioural and safety evidence, and make sound decisions in politically sensitive and high-scrutiny environments. My clients typically fall into three groups:
Government agencies and public sector teams
You're dealing with a road safety or behaviour challenge that keeps resisting simple answers. The traditional approaches haven't delivered what you expected, and you're starting to suspect the real problem isn't the individual - it's the system around them. You need someone who understands both the evidence and the policy environment, whether the approach you're considering will hold up under technical, legal, and public scrutiny, and can help you think clearly about what's actually driving the problem and what a better response looks like.
Research teams and consortia
You have a project that needs genuine behavioural or human factors expertise - someone with deep specialist knowledge and a track record of applied research who can build an evidence base, design rigorous research, lead evidence synthesis, or provide specialist peer review.
Industry partners
You need independent expertise to make sure what you're building, proposing, or delivering will hold up. Not in principle - in practice, under the kind of scrutiny that regulators and governments actually apply. Where are the unintended consequences and hidden risks in how people are actually behaving? Does the evidence behind your approach hold up? What would a regulator see when they look at this? I help to build confidence and credibility.
Strategic advice and technical leadership
For organisations that need a senior, independent advisor who understands road safety and behaviour at a system level, not just operational detail. I work with government agencies, road authorities, and transport organisations on strategy development, policy design, regulatory reform, and the implementation of road safety interventions.
I bring calm, credible judgment to situations when the scrutiny is real - fatalities or serious injuries, coronial interest, parliamentary attention, or intense public accountability. When decisions need to stand up across political, regulatory, and public contexts, that's where I add the most value.
Example work: I provided lead input into an endorsed Ministerial briefing making the case for an evidence-based approach to safety camera signage, provided lead input into the NZTA Waka Kotahi Regulatory Strategy Tū ake, tū māia, and have led submissions on graduated driver licensing reform.
Industry advisory and review
For industry partners operating in high-scrutiny, safety-critical environments who need independent expertise to make sure what they're building, proposing, or delivering will hold up. I can identify where behavioural assumptions and system design are misaligned, where evidence may not withstand regulatory or public challenge, and what needs to be clarified before delivery. I operate credibly across policy, regulation, operations, and public accountability, and I understand how governments interpret risk, evidence, proportionality, and public value.
Example work: I have conducted industry-led research on alcohol and drug use and fatigue in high-risk workforces, and contributed to industry research evaluating in vehicle systems. I have presented at industry forums including the Driving Change Network Conference and the New Zealand Institute of Driving Educators, bringing behavioural science and human factors expertise directly to the practitioners and organisations working on the frontline of road safety.
Research design and evidence synthesis
Good research doesn't just answer questions. It changes what gets decided and how. From research question to final report, I help organisations design and deliver research that is rigorous enough to withstand scrutiny and practical enough to inform decisions.
I bring 20 years of academic and applied research experience across behavioural science, human factors, regulatory theory, and road safety, including peer-reviewed publication, and government-commissioned research. I know how to frame the right question, build a credible evidence base, and translate complex findings into guidance that decision-makers can act on and defend.
Example work: My applied research experience spans novice and older drivers, driver licensing and hazard perception, speed management, safety cameras, penalties, distraction, fatigue, restraints, and pedestrian behaviour.