Education & Training
Education
- PhD in Divinity, University of Edinburgh, 2007 to 2010 [in progress]
- BTheol(Hons) with First Class Honours in Christian Thought and History, University of Otago, 1999 to 2005.
- MA(Hons) with First Class Honours in Philosophy, Victoria University of Wellington, 1995 to 1999.
- DipGrad in Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of Otago, 1994.
- BBS in Valuation and Property Management, Massey University, 1987 to 1989.
Publications
Book Chapters
- "Social Capital and Strong Communities in New Zealand" in James Jennings (ed), Race, Neighborhoods, and the Misuse of Social Capital
. Published in July 2007 by Palgrave Macmillan.
Consultancy
- Consulted as 'key stakeholder' in "Freedom of Expression in New Zealand: Striking a Balance," a report by Dr Susan Fountaine, prepared for Human Rights Commission as part of its Draft New Zealand Action Plan for Human Rights, 2004.
Presentations
- 'On the "Conflict" between Liberal Democracy and Conservative Christianity', ANZATS, Canberra, July 2007
- Consumption, Christianity and Creation Research Seminar, Sheffield Hallam University, 5 July 2002
Grants
- ANATS funding to attend the ANATS conference in Canberra, Australia, July 2007
Editorial Responsibilities
Fellowships/Studentships
- ANZATS funding to attend the ANZATS conference in Canberra, Australia, July 2007.
- In summer 2006 I won a Health Research Council Summer Research Scholarship in the Ethics of Health Research, with residency at the Bioethics Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin. I completed a paper on “The role of religion and spirituality in considering health research ethics”.
- International Fellow with the Charles F. Kettering Foundation (January to July 2003) based in Dayton, Ohio. This was a research fellowship that had three main parts: a guided reading seminar in civil society, deliberative democracy and public journalism; contributing to the life of the Foundation through helping with research projects, attending meetings and workshops; and my own research. My research consisted of writing a discussion guide on the future and ethics of censorship, and an academic article entitled “On the ‘Conflict’ between Conservative Christianity and Liberal Democracy.”
Awards
- Inaugural winner of the Dora Rothlisberger International Award for Deliberative Democracy (2006).
- Awarded Media Peace Awards (internet section) from the New Zealand Foundation for Peace Studies (1997 and 1998).