Dr Craig Jones is the Acting Chief Executive, Social Investment Agency.
Craig has considerable public sector experience both here and in Australia. This includes working as Deputy Government Statistician and Deputy Chief Executive, Data System Leadership at Statistics New Zealand for four years where he stewarded the Integrated Data Infrastructure and promoted the safe, ethical and transparent use of data for decision-making.
He previously worked as a Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of Education where, among other things, he supported the development of a new student-centred approach to distributing funding to address education inequity (the Equity Index).
Craig is a passionate advocate for evidence-driven policy and practice. He has a particular focus on developing more rigorous approaches to impact measurement.
Craig holds a PhD, a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Arts. He is a member of the NZ Institute of Directors.
Alistair was appointed Deputy Chief Executive in October 2023. He had previously been Director, Office of the Chief Executive, since February 2020. He has worked with the Agency since its establishment as the Social Investment Unit in 2015.
Alistair is leading work on the implementation of social investment and the Social Investment Fund.
Alistair's previous role was to lead the Strategy and Performance group which oversees strategy and planning, organisational performance, corporate services, Māori advisory, Ministerial engagement, and communications.
Alistair spent close to ten years working as Ministerial Advisor for a variety of Ministers, primarily covering social portfolios. This experience has supported Alistair’s passion for improved social sector decision-making and practice.
Alistair has an extensive background in public relations, having worked for some of the world’s leading public relations firms in London, Hong Kong, the UAE, and Wellington.
Aphra leads the Policy, Data and Insights Group at the Social Investment Agency.
The Group brings a collaborative, creative and multi-disciplinary approach to the analysis and use of data and evidence to advise the Government and the Social Wellbeing Board on what will materially improve the lives of New Zealanders.
Aphra is passionate about evidence-based decision-making, and brings a wealth of experience from the social and justice sectors, particularly from her former senior leadership roles in Oranga Tamariki and the Ministry of Justice. She has a Master of Laws and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Public Policy.
