Currently, the Data Ethics Advisory Group contains the following members.
Professor Simpson is a trained epidemiologist working in the field of population health sciences and medical informatics carrying out internationally recognised research to improve the health and wellbeing of patients and populations.
He is also a member of the Advisory Board for the UK Research and Surveillance Centre.
Dr Koning helps the public sector safely and effectively harness the value of data; including enabling core delivery, data-driven performance improvement, internal digitisation/automation, customer empowerment, and data-driven value creation. His career has spanned working in consulting, data and information management, and technology companies. He has a PhD in the mathematical modelling of biological complexity from University College London.
Ms O’Connor is a member of various working groups, including groups to develop the National Ethics Advisory Committee Ethical Standard for Research, the Ethical and Professional Standards for the Royal Society, and the development of the National Research Charter for New Zealand.
Frith helps private and public sector clients develop good privacy and responsible AI practices. She has over 20 years’ experience advising New Zealand, Australian and UK clients on privacy, data ethics, technology and IP law issues, including as an Associate Partner at EY Law leading the Australian and New Zealand Digital Law teams and as General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer at Auror.
Frith is also a member of the AI Governance board of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), the Executive Committee of the AI Forum NZ and the IAPP AU-NZ Advisory Board.
Dr Godfrey is a Senior Lecturer in Statistics at Massey University’s Manawatu campus. His teaching is founded on making sure his students and clients use the best techniques for efficient and effective data analysis. He has worked in partnership with Government agencies as a member of the Disability Data and Evidence Working Group, since its inception in 2015, as an appointee of the Disabled Peoples Organisations’ Coalition. He has spent almost thirty years representing disabled people in a variety of roles and is currently National President of Blind Citizens NZ, the oldest disabled-person-led, disability advocacy organisation in NZ. His interest in data ethics stems from his awareness that disabled people have all too frequently been overlooked in data collections, and therefore the outcomes that this data then provides to decision-makers.
Andrew Sporle is a deputy-director with the Healthier Lives National Science Challenge, co-lead for iNZight statistical software and on the executive of the Virtual Health Information Network, Te Mana Raraunga and the International Sociological Association Research Committee on Racism, Nationalism, Indigeneity and Ethnicity. He is also a member of Te Whatu Ora’s National AI & Algorithm Expert Advisory Group.
Russell is an expert in AI and data governance, with an extensive global career focused on helping governments and business get the best from digital technologies.
From 2014 to 2023 Russell was Microsoft New Zealand’s National Technology and Security Officer, working with both public and private sectors across New Zealand on digital strategy, policy, and implementation, helping them to understand and realise broad transformational opportunities and manage associated risks.
His current work is focused on responsible and ethical use of both data and technology, helping New Zealand organisations improve their data governance skills and practices, and the value of their data.
Jonathan is a data practitioner who has contributed towards contemporary thinking about the design, development and governance of Māori and iwi data. Jonathan has worked in the Public Sector, consultancy and for iwi and Māori organisations to advance Māori aspirations through research, evidence-based and data-driven approaches. Jonathan is presently a research lead at Scion and is in the final stages of completing his PhD at the Australian National University in Canberra.
Pieta Brown is a Director in the AI & Data consulting practice at Deloitte where she leads the AI, Insights and Engagement practice. Her expertise lies in growing data science/machine learning capability and delivering large-scale projects for public and private sector organisations. Her previous roles have included Chief Analytics Officer and Head of Data and most recently she was Product Director for machine learning at Orion Health.
If you have any questions or feedback, email us at datalead@stats.govt.nz
Content last reviewed: 17 July 2023