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Dr Chris Mahony is Political Economy Advisor at the Independent Evaluation Group at the World Bank, where he was formerly Criminal Justice and Citizen Security Specialist from 2014 to 2015. He is also Rule of Law, Justice, Security and Human Rights Advisor at UNDP, Research Fellow at the Centre for International Law Research and Policy, and Visiting Research Fellow at Georgetown University Law Centre. He holds a B.Com. and an LL.B. from the University of Otago, and a Master’s in African Studies (M.Sc.) and a D.Phil. in Politics from the University of Oxford. He was admitted to the bar of the High Court of New Zealand in 2006 where he appeared for the Crown in criminal and refugee matters.
In 2003, aged 21, Chris drafted the recommendations on governance and corruption for the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and co-authored the ‘Historical antecedents to the conflict’ chapter. In 2008, he directed the Witness Evaluation Legacy Project at the Special Court for Sierra Leone. He has advised governments, the private and not for profit sector on political economy, geopolitics, security, rule of law issues - issues on which he has published numerous books, articles, and policy papers. From 2012 to 2013, he was Deputy Director of the New Zealand Centre for Human Rights Law, Policy and Practice, Faculty of Law, Auckland University. While studying, he played professional rugby, including 3 years for Auckland, when they won the NPC and Ranfurly Shield (2007).
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Nikki is an academic General Practitioner, working as a GP at NUHS Broadway clinic in Strathmore, Wellington. She is the Director of the Immunisation Advisory Centre, an Associate Professor in the School of Population Health, University of Auckland and an honorary Associate Professor, University of Otago. Nikki's academic interests are in primary health care, preventive child health and immunisation. She is a member of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE), which is the international advisory group on vaccines and immunization service delivery to the World Health Organization.
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Deborah Russell is a senior lecturer in taxation at Massey University. She holds a PhD in Philosophy from the Australian National University. Deborah was the Labour candidate for Rangitikei in the 2014 general election.
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Susan is an Honorary Associate Professor in the Economics Department Auckland Business School, researching welfare and retirement policy issues. She is working on an analysis of family tax credit system, overseas pensions and their treatment in New Zealand, income and asset testing for long-term care, the welfare state reform, the role of home equity release and international pension systems, and tax reforms.
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