‘You Must Change Your Life’: A personal reflection on love and kindness in pandemic times

I've decided to share a copy of the personal essay (linked below) just published in the medical humanities journal, Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, which offers a reflection of my experience during New Zealand's first Covid lockdown in 2020. It seems particularly resonant for the current moment, particularly as we grow weary with the ongoing … Continue reading ‘You Must Change Your Life’: A personal reflection on love and kindness in pandemic times →

Women in craft beer: the numbers

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There's surprisingly little data about the number of female-identifying brewery owners or head brewers in the craft beer industry. Yet I constantly hear that 'things are changing!' Are they? How would we know? So last summer I set out to find out what the industry actually looks like so we might start actually charting this … Continue reading Women in craft beer: the numbers →

Women in Craft Beer

For the past several years I've been slowwwwly making my way around New Zealand, Australia and the US to understand the gendered nature of craft beer. I recently spoke on gender representation in the industry on a panel at XX Fest 2020, an Auckland-based festival celebrating women and diversity in craft beer. I also taught … Continue reading Women in Craft Beer →

Digital Threats to Democracy: A Report

Today, Wellington-based research and advocacy organisation, The Workshop, released its year-long study and report on Digital Threats to Democracy. I had the pleasure of working on this project over the past year with Marianne Elliott (The Workshop), Dr. Jess Berenston-Shaw (The Workshop), Dr. Leon Salter (Massey University) and Ella Brownlie (The Workshop). The 42-page report presents a … Continue reading Digital Threats to Democracy: A Report →

Invited talk: Data, Privacy & Surveillance in the Era of Platform Capitalism

Great @VilpVUW seminar on Data, privacy and surveillance in the era of platform capitalism from @kathleenkr . pic.twitter.com/yBvcKsUhQJ — VILP VUW (@VilpVUW) April 1, 2019 Had the privilege to give a seminar to Victoria International students last week on the economics of platforms, which resulted in some great conversation from the 30+ students in attendance … Continue reading Invited talk: Data, Privacy & Surveillance in the Era of Platform Capitalism →

Surveillance in South Africa

My book review of Jane Duncan's, Stopping the Spies: Constructing and Resisting the Surveillance State in South Africa (2018, Wits University Press) has been published in the Journal of Political Economy of Communication. Full disclosure, it's the first (and last, I hope) book review I've ever written. Second disclosure: I don't read book reviews myself. Ever. Except for … Continue reading Surveillance in South Africa →

‘One of the Blokes’: The gendered nature of beer in New Zealand’s craft brewing scene

I am very excited to announce my first article to come out a brand analysis and fieldwork I conducted with New Zealand 'brewsters' (women beer brewers) in 2016 as part of a Victoria University of Wellington Research Establishment Grant (or is it University of Wellington? Who can be sure...). The project is only a small … Continue reading ‘One of the Blokes’: The gendered nature of beer in New Zealand’s craft brewing scene →

Right to Know Day 2018

The 28 September is International Right to Know Day, a day that acknowledges access to information as a human right that enables other human rights. I had the immense pleasure of sitting down today with Privacy Commissioner John Edwards and Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier to discuss issues around privacy, transparency and information access in New … Continue reading Right to Know Day 2018 →

What do news comments say about us?

I recently sat down with Baz Macdonald from Re: News to chat about what news story comments say about us as a society. Our conversation drew from two examples about blackface - one in NZ, one in Australia. Yes: I actually mean white people painting themselves black in order to mock people of colour and … Continue reading What do news comments say about us? →

Building the Web We Want

I've just published an online article in Newsroom about why we need to be thinking about the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal as 'mass surveillance.' The piece comes on the back of a free public talk I'll be giving tomorrow with Dr. Markus Luczak-Roesch on "Building the Web We Want" at Victoria University of Wellington's Pipitea Campus. The … Continue reading Building the Web We Want →