Tēnā koe
I'm Jayden
I'm an institutional engagement specialist and a professional thinker about Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific.
About me
Experience and interests
What I'm working on
Things I've worked on
Embedded Files
Tēnā koe
About me
I'm an engagement professional with a background in institutions, governance, and education. My work bridges people and policy, helping institutions better reflect and serve the communities around them. With roots in Aotearoa and professional experience across the Pacific, I care deeply about accessibility, trust, and public connection – and bring a creative edge to all that I do.
Experience and interests
Professional
I have over eight years' experience as an engagement and governance professional in the parliamentary sector across Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia. I've also lectured and tutored in Pacific and Cultural Studies, and first cut my teeth as a public communicator in three of Wellington's top museums.
Academic
I've a Bachelor of Arts from Te Herenga in Wellington and a Master of Diplomacy (Advanced) and Doctor of Philosophy from the Australian National Unversity in Canberra.
I also read International Studies at the Diplomatische Akademie Wien in Vienna.
My research interests include:
Aotearoa New Zealand's diplomacy and international relations
Māori-Pākehā relations, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and decolonisation
Pacific diplomacies
Creative
I have a lifelong love of live theatre, adapting and producing Steve Galluccio's Mambo Italiano for a Wellington audience in 2016 and writing my first feature-length show Fletcher Presiding in 2017.
More recently, I've pivoted to written mediums, with a focus on historical fiction, alternative histories, and graphic novels.
What I'm working on
🏝️ Professional move
After eight years in the parliamentary section and seven in Canberra, I am preparing for a career and location shift in the coming year, with sights set on pursuing my passion for the Pacific.
📗 Post-PhD publications
After four years of hard work, I'm exploring options to share the insights that came out of my doctoral thesis on the Māori Renaissance's impact on Aotearoa New Zealand's diplomacy.
Things I've worked on
Professional
Samples of my professional work includes articles, an exchange report, a factsheet, and chapters 1 & 2 of a committee report.
You can also see samples of my to-camera presenting and animated work.
Academic
"The role of indigenous diplomacies in the success of the 1997 Burnham talks" in Oceanic Diplomacy (2025, forthcoming), edited by Greg Fry, Salā George Carter, and Gordon Nanau, Canterbury University Press.
He kohuka whakarerekē: The Māori Renaissance and its impact on Aotearoa New Zealand’s Pacific diplomacy (2025) PhD thesis, The Australian National University.
"Why business as usual is a risk for New Zealand’s foreign policy" New Zealand International Review (Aug-Sep 2023, pp 19-20).
Mā whero, mā pango ka oti te mahi: The role of indigenous diplomacies in the success of the 1997 Burnham talks (2021) Master's thesis, The Australian National University.
Contact me
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