People in R&E
Geoff Bascand, formerly General Manager of the Labour Market Policy Group in the Department of Labour, joined Statistics New Zealand in July, in the new role of Deputy Government Statistician – Industry and Labour Statistics. Geoff has an honours degree in geography from Otago University and a masters degree in economics from the Australian National University. He started his career at Treasury, working in economic and social policy branches, and then as Director of Macro-economic and Tax Forecasting. After two years with the IMF in Washington, Geoff joined the Department of Labour as General Manager of the Labour Market Policy Group.
Cathryn Ashley-Jones joins Statistics New Zealand this month as Deputy Government Statistician – Social and Population Statistics. Cathryn has an honours degree in economics from Victoria University. Since early 2000, she has been at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, advising on the health sector and accident insurance issues, and, until she took up her new SNZ appointment, was Director of the Foreshore and Seabed Group. In 1994, she was Director of Policy, Sector Policy Branch, at the Ministry of Health. Prior to that, she worked at Treasury, BERL and NZIER.
Jo Garrett has joined the SPEaR team as project administrator on a full-time basis for one year. Jo has come from Te Papa where she worked as part of a small team focused on museum development, including website administration. Before that, Jo spent a number of years in Dublin and London where she worked in a range of roles including visa officer for the New Zealand Immigration Service, editorial assistant for a weekly on-line music magazine and receptionist for a travel agency. She has a degree in sociology from Victoria University, and is happy to be back in Wellington where she grew up. Jo will administer the SPEaR website.
